Navrathri festival at Srirangam

Navrathri In Srirangam

As days of power cuts continue, one gets used to it and used to living in darkness and 1 light and 1 fan and so on .Mercifully the climate has improved slightly, the children and people who work no longer look tired to me, and now the schools have closed for navarathri season. The school opposite to where I live no longer has children shouting in chorus or reciting poems or tables.

The Rajagopuram  looks as imposing as ever from my front door, almost like a silent sentinel, standing tall and sturdy .The temple festivities continue with a military regularity, the mamis who do the beautiful kolams still do it  with  clockwork  precision and believe me this koil has some utsavam or other all 365 days.

Now it is thayar utsavam, and the other side of the temple is all ablaze with lights ,fanfare ,nadaswaram, excitement and the whole town walking towards the thayar sannidhi…..

Sharp 5.30 evening it is purappadu time .The EMPRESS Ranganayakki  all dressed up in finery is ready to come out in a small procession and sit in golu .We wait very prayerfully and the same Sripadamthangigal who carried Perumal go in ,in a line very disciplined, with their palms covering their mouths, saying ”Nayinthen”  then the curtains are withdrawn and the ranga nachiyar comes out looking resplendent in diamonds ,glittering. She has a beautiful saree draped very beautifully, and huge earstuds in diamonds, a huge pendant in diamonds and a stylish knot on her head with flowers wound in her hair at the nape. The women   are agog with their discussions on her saree ,her jewels and her gait. 

The men who bear her palanquin dance gracefully and it looks as if she walks with a very stylish gait. Srirangam is famous for  the different walks that the bearers perform. After she sits in durbar or golu  devotees are allowed to go in a line to worship, meanwhile outside in her courtyard,  the koil elephant Andal, is all ready to enetertain her Highness and the people assembled there.,

At sharp 8pm Andal,  gets ready to hop her way a few steps and play the mouth organ ,this excites the crowd and they show their appreciation with loud cheers. This is the thayar festival. This goes on till about 9 days till navarathri is over. The thayar enjoys thirmanjanam only for three days in a year…..the first on the first day of navarathri, the second on Saraswathi puja day and the third on the Panguni uthram day.

This thayar is a member of everyone”s family  in Srirangam. The women here treat her as  one in their family  and even though they might have some awe and respect for the Rangan here ,they treat Ranganayaki as their own sister or mother o r friend .I have heard that she visits them at night to allay their fears, and soothe them. It is often believed that she whispers in their ears and the Srirangamvasis are  happy in the thought that they are comforted  by the universal Mother .No Srirangamvasi wants to leave this place even for a day .This is their vaikuntam and here they will stay.

The Thula masam has started and Cauvery is celebrated .This is the only month when Rangan bathes in water from Cauvery ,other days of the year it is Kollidam waters that bathe Him .The water is brought from Cauvery in a Golden pot on an elephant with much fanfare in the early mornings .This water is brought from Amma mandapam.  People stand to watch this ritual and generally  people go to Cauvery to bathe in this month.

Women give the traditional vethilai pakku to each other and have mehendi on their hands. There is Parayanam in many houses and it is festival time here.

It is the last Wednesday and time for Bookclubtrichy.

As usual it happens in South Chithrai street in The Thathachariar house. They have made space in their first floor ,it is a well laid out hall with comfortable chairs and a mike And the hall has many old time pictures ,photographs, lined with books and bookshelves. this hall has an old world charm about it.

This week the book reviewed was Siddhartha by HermanHesse.The person who reviewed it did it so artfully and kept it simple as the book itself is a difficult essay on a self search ,almost a take off on Buddha  .It was very charged as the English professor who did the vote of thanks was very excited with his memories and connections to the book itself. The Bookclubtrichy has very illustrious persons as members and they talk books with a lot of passion. It is very heartening to see books being revived but only among the older generation. I wish many more youngsters would attend.