Election day in Pondicherry! We’ve been told to come to this utsavam, perhaps because it’s a bit grand and unusual. The more formal parts of the Ramar utsavam over, this is part of the almost-recreational Vidaiyatri.
Perumal (the carpenter who has worked at ours) is there, carrying one of the torches–it takes us a minute to place each other, totally out of context. After that, he comes by to make sure I’m ok periodically, and that I know what is going on.
The deities (dressed with pointy shoes and jaunty headgear, fabrics clearly from the north somewhere) go around the temple prakaram once, stopping at the main shrines along the way and then placed onto the theppal. Deeparadhanai happens, and then they push off. 9 rounds of the pond total, the first with music, the second with vedam chanting, the third with prabandham chanting, and all the remainder with nadaswaram music.
The same players from the Chetty Koyil are here and they do a fine job. They seem to play generally loved and known songs (Dikshitar’s “Akhilandeswari” in Dwijavanthi, composed at the Jambukeswarar Temple in Thiruvanaikaval, located near Tiruchirappalli (Trichy) as goddess Akhilandeswari is the consort of Jambukeswarar; “Aadu Pambe,” by Pambatti Siddhar (or Pambatti Cittar) in Punnagavarali, played at a few speeds, which I very happily posted on Instagram stories with dancing snake emojis). No specific focus on Ramar paattu at all.
When the Rama comes back from His outing, the group is carried by several men holding the rods on either side, and being egged on by the nadaswaram players in the “performance” of different nadais. They cover the space between the Kodandarama shrine and the Desikar shrine (approx), going back and forth playfully a few times – as though they tease, not wanting the deities to go “home,” taking them out for a little longer and a little longer. Finally they return to the mandapa, and the usual closing aradhanai happens, curtain closes, everyone sits to eat (sundal, kesari, and the best milagu samba saadam ever). Many make cones of the leaves so it’s easier to receive the food. Nobody gets up until the priest calls with permission to rise: Heccherike!
Curtain opens again, but the day is done.