Koodal Azhagar Rama Rayar Mandapam Dasavathara Thiru Kolam

Devotees missing at Dasavathara Display

Koodal Azhagar provides Dasavathara darshan at Rama Rayar Mandapam to a handful of devotees on Thursday night

                  Koodal Azhagar Krishna Avatharam - 1am

It is exactly a month since Kallazhagar of Thiru Maliruncholai Divya Desam arrived at  the Rama Rayar Mandapam when the entire area was packed with a sea of devotees 

On this Thursday (June 12) evening, it was a stark contrast and proved anti climatic. Koodal Azhagar had made his way earlier on a horse vahana procession from the temple to the Rama Rayar Mandapam crossing the Vaigai as part of the Vaikasi Brahmotsavam, on the day following the Pournami.

Legendary Divya Desam

There  is no indication of a Perumal from a legendary Divya Desam was at Mathichiyam on the Northern Banks of Vaigai in Madurai. 

Centuries ago, after his Victory in the debate, Periyazhvaar went atop the Royal Elephant of Vallabha Deva Pandya around the streets of Madurai in a Grand Celebratory Event. Lord Koodal Azhagar, appeared on his Garuda Vahana from above the Ashtanga Vimana along with Goddess Lakshmi against the back drop of the clear blue sky providing darshan to scores of devotees that had thronged the streets of Madurai. Worried that evil eyes should not fall on this beautiful Lord, seen in this immaculate posture with his beloved Goddess Lakshmi, Vishnu Chittar falling into a trance, showered Pallaandu verses of praise expressing concern for the Lord’s safety using the bell tied to the elephant as his Thaalam. 

பேர் அணிந்த வில்லிபுத்தூர் ஆணி தன்னில்

 பெருந் ஜோதி தனில் தோன்றும் பெருமானே

முன் சீர் அணிந்த பாண்டியன் தன் நெஞ்சு தன்னில்

துயக்கற மால் பருத்து வத்தை திருமாசெப்பி

வானர மேல் மதுரை வளம் வரவே

வானில் கருட வாகனமாய்த் தோன்ற

வாழ்த்தும் ஈரணி  பல்லாண்டு முதல் பாட்டு

நானூற்று எழுவத்து ஒன்று இரண்டும் எனக்கு உதவு நீயே – Vedanta Desikar's praise of Periyazhvaar's Royal Procession

Jewels arrive in a MNC car!!!

There are only a handful of devotees witnessing the Thirumanjanam at this historic mandapam in Mathichiyam. Even as the Bhattar of the evening leaves the mandapam, a couple of young priests arrive. It is a sign of changing times and the trend among the new gen bhattars that the abaranams for the Dasavatharam thiru kolam was brought in a MNC car with the priest of Koodal Azhagar and a young engineering student and nephew of  Azhagar Koil Ambhi Bhattar landing up at the venue after 8.30pm. It is these the two young bhattars who took over the alankaram aspects in the coming hours. 

Till the end of the last decade, Naidu Venkatesan, who passed away during the Pandemic carried the huge white canopy from the Ranganathaswamy temple in Srirangam to Veereswaram, 3 kms away bare foot ahead of the Garuda Vahana procession during the Thai Procession (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2021/05/srirangam-temple-naidu-venkatesan.html).  Such was the traditional ways followed during utsavams. But in this historic Divya Desam responsible for the Pallandu Verses of Periyazhvaar, jewels for the night were brought in a car!!!

It is 9.30pm when the first avatharam is unveiled. There are about 50 people who enjoy this first alankaram. Over the next four hours, Koorma, Vamana, Rama and Krishna Avatharam alankarams are showcased inter-wined with Swara alankaram and Muthangi Sevai.

The Rama Avatharam alankaram past midnight draws the biggest cheer on the night as the devotees look at the minute aspects of the alankaram. It is 1.30am when the screen closes for the final time on the night after devotees have had darshan of the Krishna Avatharam alankaram.

Dwindling devotee crowd

Later in the night, a security at the shop at the end of the street told this writer that the previous month there was not an inch of space to move as devotees came in thousands and stayed through the night to have darshan of Azhagar Koil Perumal’s Dasavathara Kaatchi. But on this night, it did not even look like a festival with very few devotees and the loudspeaker music being the only thing signifying an event on the night.  Nearer the Perumal, in between the different alankarams, these devotees presented devotional songs enjoying themselves in the peace of the late night even the moon played hide and seek in the sky. 

A Police on night duty wondered as to why were there so many small houses on all sides of the mandapam and asked as to why the mandapam had come up in the middle of the slum like dwelling only to be told that this is a historic mandapam and that the dwellings have come of late. 

 

Ubayadarar's devotional commitment

The Ubayadarar of the night has come with his family and is the most active devotee on the night. He calls out for the Parivattam, shouts out for the Thaligai at the end of each alankaram and distributes a wide-ranging Prasadam through the night including Puliyodarai as the final one, but for all his devotional commitment and the huge amount of money spent on the utsavam, the vibrancy is missing. 

பருபதுக்கு கயல் பொறித்த பாண்ட்யர் குலபதிபோல்

திரு பொழிந்த சேவடி

என் சென்னியின் மேல் பொறித்தாய் மறு போசிதாய்

என்றென்றும் வாசகமே

உரு பொழிந்த நாவிநேனை உணகுரிதாகினையே

 

There are just a few devotees who have stayed back past 1am to have darshan of the Dasavatharam display of Koodal Azhagar and they sleep on the floor for the next few hours even as the two young bhattars get on to the Mohini Alankaram before they too catch up on some sleep after 3am.

There are fewer devotees early on Friday morning ahead of the Mohini Alankaram Paththi Ulathal in front of the Rama Rayar mandapam but those present sweep the area of the Paththi Ulathal and draw beautiful white pulli kolams shortly 5am.

It is twice in two weeks that this writer has experienced dwindling crowds at Brahmotsavams in Divya Desams in Madurai in late night events. Both here and at the Kaalamegha Perumal temple in Thiru Mogur, there were minimal number of Vaishnavite devotees for a Divya Desam Brahmotsavam and that is a trend that is likely to continue in remote temples in TN (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2025/06/thiru-mogur-vaikasi-brahmotsavam-garuda.html).  Except for select marketed events like that of Azhgar’s Chitrai Utsavam, one is unlikely to see big crowds in remote temples in the future. But one also has to ask the question as to why amidst such small set of devotees, the alankaram runs so late into the night. When the likelihood of devotees is minimal given that the schools have just reopened and there is an office to attend the next morning, the temple authorities should plan to organise the Dasavatharam darshan in the evening and close by 10pm/11pm to throw open the possibility of a larger number of devotees having darshan.