Azhagar Koil Aadi Garuda Sevai

An Eventful Monday evening at Thiru Maliruncholai

Rain Showers, Commotion on First Rights, Prabhandham and Vedic Recital mark Sundararaja Perumal's Aadi Garuda Sevai 

It is a big festive week in the year at the Sundararaja Perumal temple in Thiru Maliruncholai, 20 North of Madurai. It is one of the few days in the year that the 18 Padi Karuppanaswamy Door opens. It is early evening on Monday (August 4) and there is already a sizeable crowd that has walked into the temple from the villages around Azhagar Koil. Many of them have made their way to the Karuppanaswamy Sannidhi, while others have gone for a quick darshan of Moolavar Paramaswamy.

அலை வலைமை தவிர்த்த

அழகன் அலங்காரன் மலை

குல மலை கோல மலை

குளிர் மா மலை கொற்ற மலை

நில மலை நீண்ட மலை

திரு மாலிருஞ் சோலை யதே - The Great Hill - Thiru Maliruncholai

The Vedic members have been presenting the Vedas on the mike through the evening in front of the Moolavar Sannidhi while the Prabhandham members presented the fourth and fifth cantos of Periyazhvaar Thirumozhi and the fifth canto of Namazhvaar’s Thiruvoimozhi sitting in front of Sundararaja Perumal atop the Garuda Vahana.

The grand alankaram has already been done for the utsava deity and he is decked with huge colourful flower garlands. But suddenly the sky has gone dark with a thick cloud line that sends heavy and unexpected showers in early August. Devotees scatter around to find cover under a tree or a mandapa while the prabhandham members continue their recital.

Past 6pm, there is commotion in front of the Vahana Mandapam. If one thought that the Vaishnavite clash between Vadakalai and Thenkalai was unmatched, the villagers who claimed the first rights on this big Garuda Sevai evening showed that they were no less on this front. Two groups had differing opinions with respect to the first rights with one arguing that no individual could be given the first rights to the shatari while the other wielded the rights referring to the previous year’s protocol.

The Chief Priest of the temple, Narayanan Bhattar, very popular and respected in this region wasn’t bemused at the turn of events on this evening as both sides presented their arguments to him on how the event should proceed. For a change, the villagers got the media photographers to take a back seat and asked them to push back so the village folks could record the event on their phone camera for future reference.

By this time, the Prabhandham members had regrouped to present the decad from the 10th canto of the Thiruvoimozhi praising the greatness of Thiru Maliruncholai. Wide ranging Thaligai was distributed to the Prabhandham members and then to the devotees.

The top members from the villages were presented with Parivattam with the villagers recording every minute of this action even as Sundararaja Perumal sported a smile from atop Garuda watching this battle amongst the villagers on their first rights!!!

While the Sripatham members were readying the Lord for the procession, Narayana Bhattar then sat behind to present betel leaves and nuts to the Village chiefs. It was past 8pm when the Prabhandham members gathered once again, this time for the start of the procession with the recital of Naanmugan Thivanthathi on this fourth day of the Aadi Pooram utsavam.

The Bhagavathas were dancing in a trance even as Sundararaja Perumal made his way to the 18 Karuppanna Swamy Sannidhi to announce his departure for the procession. Soon he was mounted on to the wheeled tyres and after all the noise at the Vahana Mandapam the procession moved swiftly. There were no Thattu presentation and led by the temple elephant and the prabhandham members, Sundararaja Perumal made his way around the four streets before returning to the Vahana Mandapam.

On this Monday evening at Azhagar Koil, there was action of all kinds. Devotees thronging the Karuppanna Swamy Sannidhi, Vedic members sitting in a peaceful atmosphere in front of the Moolavar Sannidhi reciting the Vedas, the prabhandham members presenting the sacred verses of the Azhvaars behind closed screen with the devotees only being able to hear their voices, the relentless arguments among the villagers on the first rights in front of Garuda, Narayana Bhattar sporting a smiling face amid the commotion and the surprise heavy showers in early August.

By 9pm, a lot of the crowd had dispersed as had the rain showers even as Sundararaja Perumal made his way back to the Vahana Mandapam.

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