Oppiliappan Koil Puratasi Garuda Sevai

The ever growing popularity of Puratasi Saturday Prarthanai was seen in full light  on the Garuda Sevai evening  at Oppiliappan Koil in Thiru Vinnagar

Tractor pulls three deities around the four streets of this Thiru Mangai Azhvaar praised Divya Desam

It is an unrecognisable transformation in TN temples. It is 3.30pm on the 2nd Saturday of Puratasi and there is an unprecedented crowd at the Oppiliappan Koil in Thiru Vinnagar Divya Desam. Special arrangements have been made in advance for free darshan and Rs. 50ticket and there are VIPs seeking a quick darshan. Rs. 50 ticket queue is overflowing even as several hundreds make their way to the free darshan queue at 3.30pm, half hour ahead of the darshan opening time.

The routes to the Sannidhi have been so cut off for this Saturday evening that even the priests have to jump the barricade to enter!!!

Just over two decades ago, priests waited at the entrance of the temple awaiting the next set of devotees but on this Saturday evening, the large number of priests had their hands full with one set of them at the Moolavar Sannidhi, another few at the Thiru Kalyana mandapam with a third set working behind the screen for the Garuda Sevai alankaram on this fourth day of the Puratasi Brahmotsavam.

வண்டொறுநறுமலர் இண்டைகொண்டு பண்டைநம் வினை கெட என்று
அடிமேல் தொண்டரும் அமரரும் பணிய நின்று அங்கு அண்டமொட அகலிடம் அளந்தவனே
ஆண்டாய் உனைக் காண்பதோர் அருளெனக்கு அருளுதியேன்
வேண்டேன் மனை வாழ்க்கையை விண்ணகர் மேயவனே

Past 4.30pm, three prabhandham members arrived for the presentation of the fourth canto of Nam Azhvaar’s Tiruvoimozhi.

Even as the Bhajanai troupe reach the temple at around 6pm, the devotee crowd has swelled. The troupe from Kumbakonam presented for over an hour on the mike!!! The long queue to the Moolavar Sannidhi only increased as the evening went by with the HR & CE delighted at the huge sale of special entry tickets.

Garuda Sevai delayed
It is 6.30pm when the huge screen opened for the devotees to have a first glimpse of Venkatachalapathy atop the Silver Garuda Vahana and Thayar atop the Hamsa Vahana as well as Vedantha Desikar. The Garuda Sevai procession is slated for 7pm but the programme is behind schedule as the devotees continue to pour in on the Saturday evening.

After deeparathanai, the screen closed again for another hour as the pooja formalities of Thaligai presentation to Moolavar Perumal is delayed with the long devotee queue.

It is almost 8pm when prabhandham members present the satru murai verses of the fourth canto of Tiruvoimozhi after the return of Selvar’s safety check procession around the four streets. Following this, a ‘saltless special’ sundal and puliyodharai is presented along with Kesari. It is 8.15pm when the Garuda Sevai procession begins 75 minutes behind schedule.

The devotee wave has moved from utsavam darshan to prarthana sevai and this Saturday evening was an indication of that. Even as devotees thronged the Moolavar in long queues, there were fewer devotees for the Garuda Sevai.

Thattu is presented at each house on the Sannidhi street in front of the Eastern Raja Gopuram. On to West end of the Sannidhi street, the prabhandham members numbering around ten began their presentation of Naanmugan Thiruvanthathi. Three Vedic members followed the procession with the recital of the Vedas.

There was a time in the past when sripatham personnel carried the Lord on street processions but that was when the agraharams of historic Divya Desams were filled with traditionalists and there was a certain vibrancy around the sacred streets. Most of the original inhabitants have since moved away seeking greener pastures in bigger cities. And Thiru Vinnagar is no different.

In line with the current trend, Vedantha Desikar, Venkatachalapathy Perumal and Bhoomidevi Thayar were mounted on to the tyred vehicles and all the three were locked together by the tractor that pulled the three through the entire procession in a way that the engine of a train is locked on to the bogie. The tractor is driven by the HR & CE staff as the procession moved on to the South street with another staffer ensuring the overhead wires don’t affect the procession. Fire crackers and rockets signified the procession moving into the next street alerting the residents on the progress.

In the second decad of his praise, Thiru Mangai Azhvaar says that he has realised the wife and children are likely to be of no help and that he has moved away from them cutting himself away from the wavering senses of the past to fall at his feet seeking his grace.

பிறந்தேன் பெற்ற மக்கள் பெண்டிர் என்று
இவர் பின் உதவாது அறிந்தேன்
நீ பணித்த அருள் என்னும் ஒள் வாள் உருவி எறிந்தேன்
ஐம்புலன்கள் இடர் தீர எறிந்து வந்து செறிந்தேன்
நின் அடிக்கே திருவிண்ணகர் மேயவனே 

At this utsavam and as with street processions in many other remote Divya Desams, residents stood firm in front of their respective homes to present the Thattu far away from the thoughts of Thiru Mangai Azhvaar. It is hoped that going forward this trend will change and that residents of 3-4 houses will come together and present their thattu in one location on a street instead of the procession stopping in front of every single house. It has been a belief of devotees that they are welcoming the Lord into their homes and hence they have stood firm to present the thattu only in front of their home but this has meant that the Lord has to stop in front of each home. 

Thiru Mangai Azhvaar refers to an elevation of spirit as his devotee and says that is the path he seeks to follow. At the procession on Saturday evening, the tractor had to start and stop at every home. This process of the renunciation of the informal rights of presenting thattu only in front of their home should start from traditionalists on Sannidhi street who should set an example on this front for the residents of other streets to follow.

மை ஒன் கருங் கடலும் நிலனும் மணி வரையும்

செய்ய சுடர் இரண்டும் இவை ஆய நின்னை

நெஞ்சில் உய்யும் வகை உணர்ந்தேன் உண்மையால் இனி

யாதும் மாற்று ஓர் தெய்வம் பிறிது அறியேன்

திருவிண்ணகரானே

It is ten pm when the Prabhandham members present the satru murai verses of Naanmugan Thiruvanthathi at the eastern entrance of the temple even as a stream of devotees head back from the Moolavar Sannidhi after the darshan on this Puratasi Saturday evening. Interestingly, the EO was present both at the start and the end of the procession.

For the devotees, Puratasi Saturday has become a big Prarthana day in the year while for the authorities it has turned out to one of the biggest revenue earners of the year in many perumal temples in TN. The Garuda Sevai is usually a big event in a Perumal temple but for once Puratasi Saturday Prarthana out beat Garuda and Lord Venkatachalapathy at the Oppiliappan Koil in Thiru Vinnagar last evening.