Having spent my entire pre-marriage life in and around mylapore,that enchanting part of gud old madras(probably the only part of the city which is much much older than the city itself),i cannot help missing it,especially at this time of the year....this is the tamil month of panguni,when all south indian temples have their utsavams to celebrate the celestial weddings....
in mylapore,the month is synonymous for the kapaliswarar kovil thiruvizha,the highlights of which are the 'Ther' and 'Arupathumoovar' processions,which draw huge crowds from every corner of the city...
i am reminded of the maadaveedhis,often turning into 'mad-a-veedhis' with the uncontrollable crowds jostling each other,innumerable hawkers spreading their stuff,the police barricades,the temporary makeshift shelters for the 'thanneer pandals', the fire engines staioned at the intersection of venkatesa agrahaaram & r.k.mutt road,the brightly lit canopys or pandals under which the vaahanams breifly halt during the processions....all of which exude a special charm unique to mylapore,unique to its thiruvizha...
i have fond memories of the late night rishaba vaahanam and the early morning adhikaara nandhi,in shining silver and the deities bedecked in temple jewellery and fragrant garlands...and the long ques to the 'ther vadam'(long heavy coir rope used to pull the temple chariot ).
the highlight of the ten day festival is the arupathumoovar,where all the 63 nayanmars(saivaite saints) are taken in procession along with the deities.huge crowds of lakhs of people throng the streets of mylapore to catch a glimpse of the palaquins,and thousands of litres of water and buttermilk are served free to quench the thirst of parched throats....
hmmm....nostalgic....to me,and am sure,to anyone else, seperated by distance,but bound by spirit, to that part of chennai we proudly belong....namma mylapore
chk this link for a web cast of the 'Ther' with commentary in english
http://www.kutcheribuzz.com/pangunifest2008/
