15kms night procession sans devotees
The legendary episode of Nellaiappar providing darshan to an angry Karuvur Siddhar was played out on the occasion of Avani Moolam at Manur on Tuesday morning
It is just past 9pm on Monday (Sept 1) evening. Moorthy Gurukal, the senior priest at the Nellaiappar Gandhimathi temple in Tirunelveli is finishing the final pooja of the day at the Swami Sannidhi. The Shiva Adiyars and the local devotees have gathered in good numbers for the inner prakara procession ahead of the Deeparaathanai. On a normal Monday evening, it would have been curtains for the day but this was a once in a year occasion with the utsava deities of Swami and Ambal set for the longest street procession of the year.
It is 10pm when Moorthy Gurukal leaves the temple for the night, following which a few electricians get going on the lighting for the utsava deities. Shortly after 11pm, the Sripatham personnel turn up at the temple to mount the utsava deities on the chapparam.
The Midnight Procession sans devotees
As the clock ticks to midnight, Chandrasekarar and Bhavani Ambal provide darshan at the Eastern Raja Gopuram. The procession is led by parivara moorthies comprising of Kunguli Nayanar, Chandeswarar, Pandya King, Thamaraibarani Ambal and Sage Agasthya.
At the junction of the West and North car street, the procession stops for a while as the service personnel have tea and snacks before resuming the procession that makes its way on to the Netaji Street. Surprisingly there is not a single devotee to welcome the deities even in front of their homes and the lone companion through the procession are the street dogs that walked alongside Swami and Ambal for a few minutes before returning to their homes at each of the street corners.
It is 1am when the deities reached the check post at Raamaiyanpatti and on to the Tirunelveli- Sankaran Koil highway. It is a dark and lonely trip on this highway with a vehicle speeding past once in a while every half hour or so.
The Matador pulls the deities
Near the corporation dump yard on the western outskirts of Tirunelveli, the sripatham personnel tie the chapparam on to the Matador and for the next ten kms Nellaiappar and Gandhimathi (Chandrasekarar and Bhavani Ambal) are pulled along by the motorised vehicle without the physical push of the Sripatham, who too jump on to the matador for some rest.
It is past 1.30am when the procession moves past the Veterinary college and Research Institute in Tirunelveli. It is almost 3am when the first devotee of the procession welcomes the deities in front of the Pillayar temple in Rastha for the first coconut break. Shortly after, they stop at a roadside tea stall for tea and biscuits.
Three Generations of Nellaiappar Kainkaryam
44 year old Balasubramanian is the third generation in his family to don the role of the Sripatham head at the Nellaiappar temple. Past 3am he tells this writer as to how in really financially challenging times five decades ago, his thatha anchored this procession. “There was very little money on offer at that time and the roads were in pretty bad shape but my thatha was committed to serving Nellaiappar and Gandhimathi and spent his entire lifetime in service to them” even as he sips a tea at the Iyengar Bakery in Rastha.
It is now over 25 years since Balasubramanian began performing the daily service at the temple. He has been the man behind organising the Therottam, the alankaram of the chariot and the Pandal in addition to playing the role of the Sripatham head.
He says it is better time now financially for this service than it was during his Thatha’s years of service. But more than the money, he feels blessed that three generations in his family have lived their life at the feet of Nellaiappar and Gandhimathi.
Swami's 3am halt of Manur Petrol Bunk!!!
The procession has seen almost 15kms on the night and at the entrance of Maanur (Manur), it is time for the Sripatham personnel to have a nap for a few hours. Most of them sleep on the floor at the HP Petrol bunk while the Gurukal who was assigned by Moorthy Gurukal for this procession slept in the Matador in which he had made the entire trip!!!
Three hours later even as the Sun breaks out on Tuesday morning, it is time for the final leg of the procession as the parivara moorthies and the divine couple enter Maanur. Contrasted with the lonely 16kms trip from Tirunelveli town to Manur sans devotees, there are hundreds of them at this historical temple town to welcome Nellaiappar and Gandhimathi. Past 6am, Moorthy Gurukal arrives at Manur in a taxi along with a next gen Gurukal (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2017/11/nellaiappar-koil-tirunelveli.html). Shortly after the Chairman Board of Trustees of the Nellaiappar temple arrives as does the Chief of Police. As the clock ticks to 7am, the priest of the Ambalavana temple arrives accompanied by the Melam and Vadhyam to welcome the deities to Manur.
It has been a tradition to receive and break coconuts from the villagers on the morning of Avani Moolam and Moorthy and Sundar Gurukal patiently break coconuts presented by the devotees whose numbers increased by the minute. Several beautiful flower garlands are presented to Swami and Ambal. Following the mariyathai to the Police Chief, the CBT and the Ubayadarar, the procession makes it way towards the Ambalavanar temple. On the way, more devotees present flower garlands and coconuts.
Nellaiappar provides darshan to Karuvur Siddhar
The highlight of the utsavam has been scheduled between 7am and 8am and the events go as per plan. Karuvur Siddhar had made it to Manur 24 hours earlier from the Nellaiappar temple and he was decorated early morning on Tuesday. Past 7.15am, he made his way around the prakara of the Ambalavanar temple to the Sannidhi street that wore a truly festive look.
Hundreds gathered around Swami and Ambal even as Karuvur Siddhar went around the deities thrice with Shiva Adiyars presenting the sacred verses standing behind the palanquin. `
Othuvar's sacred verses - Karuvur Siddhar Darshan
Othuvar Senthil of Nellaiappar temple presented the sacred verses of Thiru Gnana Sambandar and then much to the delight of the big devotee crowd the moment of the utsavam arrived with Sundar Bhattar of Nellaiappar temple presenting the Deeparathanai signifying the long awaited darshan for Karuvur Siddhar.
The legend has it that Karuvur Siddhar made it to Tirunelveli and chanted the name of Nellaiappar invoking the blessings of Swami but unfortunately when the Swami did not respond to his call, he announced that there was no Swami here and cursed the town to turn into ‘Erukkanchedi’. He headed out of the town towards Manur where Ambalavana Rishi received him and asked him the reason for his anger. Consoling him, the rishi told him that the Lord of Tirunelveli was only testing his devotion and that he would definitely provide darshan to him.
It was on the Avani Moolam day that Nellaiappar made his way to Manur and provided darshan to Karuvur Siddhar. Delighted at the darshan of Swami, Karuvur Siddhar returned to Tirunelveli that same day and took back his curse that he had inflicted on this town.
Othuvar Senthil presented this legendary tale at the Ambalavanar Sannidhi on Tuesday and this was followed by an abhisekam. As is the trend in such historical utsavams in remote towns, the devotees were treated to a sumptuous meal following the event at Manur.
Later in the day, Chandrasekar provided darshan in a Silver Horse Vahana at Raamaiyanpatti before reaching his abode in Tirunelveli town on Tuesday evening bringing to end the Avani Moolam utsavam at the Nellaiappar temple.
