Thiru Putkuzhi Maasi Brahmotsavam Horse Vahana Procession

In recognition of the devotional commitment of the Sthapathy who constructed a unique horse, Vijaya Raghava Perumal pays a special visit on the 8th day of the Maasi Brahmotsavam to the place where he committed suicide

The Sthapathy of Thiru Putkuzhi constructed a one of its kind horse on which Vijaya Raghava Perumal would provide darshan on a procession during the Maasi Brahmotsavam. So impressed were the personnel from other Divya Desams that they were keen for him to construct one such special horse for their own temple. However, so devotionally attached was this sthapathy to Vijaya Raghava Perumal that he refused to make a horse for any other temple.

When he was forcibly taken away, he returned under the guise of having forgotten a tool and committed suicide in Thiru Putkuzhi.

In memory of his great devotional commitment, Vijay Raghava Perumal makes his way on the 8th day of the Maasi Brahmotsavam on this special horse vahana to the tree where he hung himself.

It was a big festive occasion at this Divya Desam on Wednesday (Feb 22). Several hundreds of devotees gathered by 6pm at the temple ahead of the Horse Vahana procession. Bhagavathas presented bhajans at the entrance of the Raja Gopuram while archakas from Mannargudi Raja Gopalaswamy temple and Thiru Cherai Saranatha Perumal temple (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2017/07/thiru-cherai-saranatha-perumal.html), who had specifically come for this occasion, decorated the Lord for this once in a year procession.

Thiru Mangai Azhvaar has praised this Divya Desam in the set of verses relating to Nithya Kalyana Perumal, Thiru Vidanthai (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2008/03/thiruvidanthai-nithya-kalyana-perumal.html).

அலங்கெழு தடக்கையாயன் வாயாம்பர் கழியுமாலேன்னுல்லாம் 

மென்னும் 

புலங்கெழு பொருநீர் புட்குழி பாடும் 

போதுமோ நீர் மலை கென்னும் குளம் கெழு கொல்லி கோமளவல்லி 

கொடியிடை நெடுமழைக் கன்னி 

 இலங்கு எழில் தோழிக்கு என் நினைந்து இருந்தாய் 

இட வேந்தை எந்தை பிரானே 

A steady stream of devotees make their way to the Perumal and Thayar Sannidhi. Hereditary Priest Srinivasa Bhattar who has been here for over five decades shunts between the two sannidhis. 

Just after 7pm, the devotee crowd gathered steam. There is devotional excitement all around even as the cover is taken off the vahana with devotees getting a first glimpse of the beautifully decorated Perumal atop the horse. Perumal makes a majestic fast paced procession around the prakara to the entrance of the Raja Gopuram.

 A special feature of this 8th evening of the Maasi Brahmotsavam is that Vijaya Raghava Perumal goes on a procession South of the temple to the location of the Sthapathy’s demise. No thattu is collected till the descendants of the Sthapathy community are first honoured. 

Its 8pm and the entire East street is dotted with kolams with devotees lining up in several hundreds in front of the tree. The Sthapathy’s descendants present huge garlands to Vijaya Raghava Perumal and to the Golden Horse.

The Special Horse for this Brahmotsavam

Sri Patham Kannan who leads the procession in several Divya Desams in Kanchi is here with his team of 40 members for the procession. He has been the Sripatham anchor for decades with his forefathers too having been in this service. He provides an exclusive glimpse of the unique three divisions of the horse that the Sthapathy had sculpted – the head, the body and the back. The horse vahana that is segregated into these three pieces is brought together only on this 8th day of the utsavam every year.

Presenting Grass to the Horse

Another interesting feature of this procession is a historical episode that is played out on this 8th evening of the Maasi Brahmotsavam. When the residents of this temple town complained that the horse was walking over the farming fields and destroying them, the community brought grass and presented to the Lord before feeding the horse!!! This event too was played out on Wednesday on the far corner of the East street. It is such a special day for the descendants of the sthapathy that they organize ear boring and tonsuring ceremony in their family for this year only on this 8th day of the utsavam. They were honoured with Parivattam on this evening. Soon after this event, the Sripatham thrilled the devotees with three rounds of Voyali Esal near the tree. It is only after the descendants were honoured that the archakas began accepting Thattu from the devotees. By now, Vijaya Raghava Perumal was decked with huge flower garlands and so too was the horse. 

Vijaya Raghava Perumal is the Kula Deivam for residents from 25 nearby villages and they were present on this evening to watch the event of honouring the horse and its maker. This temple is a prarthana sthalam for the unmarried and the childless. 

Veda Narayanan Bhattar of Mangai Nallur Perumal Koil (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2021/12/mangai-nallur-temple-priest-veda.html) near Therazhundur too was present on the occasion for this was the first year his young son in law, Sesharaghava Bhattar, had tied Kaappu for the Brahmotsavam.

Shortly after the trip to the sacred tree, Vijaya Raghava Perumal made his way around the Mada Streets and moved on to Balu Chetty Chattiram for Mandagapadi before returning to the temple late in the night bringing to end the once in a year Horse Vahana procession.

Thiru Putkuzhi Divya Desam is about 85kms from Chennai off the Bangalore NH and 10kms from Kanchipuram. Buses every 15minutes from Kanchipuram towards Vellore/Arcot. The temple is open from 7.30am to 12noon and from 4.30pm to 8pm.