Thiru maal irum sOlai - part 9 - the gala festival at vagai aaRu for azhagar

[Guest guest]

Thiru maal irum sOlai - part 10 - the gala festival at

vagai aaRu for azhagar

 

Once the Lord puts HIS feet into the river, sri Veera

rAgava perumAL comes in front and receives HIM. Million

and a half people comes to madurai to have their darshan

from all over the state of Tamil Nadu. This is the most

popular event in the whole of Tamil Nadu in terms of

maximum attendance in a year. For mahAmaham in

kumbakonam also more people come from all over India. TN

govt. and madurai district authorities make elaborate

arrangements to cover this festival. However it takes

place once in 12 years. When azhagar reaches RamaRayar

mandapam, the fire works and dances and music (both

country music, real folk songs (researchers on contry

music and folk songs of tamil, please note) and have a

gala celebration of this holy occasion of azhagar

stepping down in vaigai river with Sri ANDAL's garland.

They dance around as they dress themselves in various

bright and colorful dresses and carry the tail lamps

(thiri viLLakku or a type of torch) all around and

glorify this place and shout and chant loudly "

gOvindA, gOvindA, gOvindA" and such "gOvinda nAmam" will

be echoed in the sky and the air will be filled in this

gOvinda smaranai. When I saw it first time my heart

resonated and my eyes watered without my knowledge in

deep emotion. This part of the festival is a real feast

for the eyes and a "divine tune up" for the aathman and

a holy touch for the bakhthi that is dwelling in us

without any ego and complete with the nyAnam that Sriman

nArAyanA is the param and seeking HIS holy feet is the

ultimate illakku (aRivin payanE, - amuthE nammalwaar on

thiruk kudanthai amuthan).

 

 

 

Sri ANDAL samEtha Sri KaLLazhagar thiruvadikaLE charaNam

Sampath Rengarajan