Vedapuriswara Koyil conducts an Ekadasha Rudrabhishekam. The Vedapuriswara Koyil Sirutthonda Nayanar Thirutthonda Sabhai has its Aandu Vizha simultaneously, celebrated in front of the utsava alankara mandapam with recitation of Thiruvasagam all day (Thiruvasagam Muttrotutal). A small puja precedes this, with a figure placed in an unjal (who?). These activities do not appear to be facilitated by the temple priests.
As I (Arun) enter around 915am, I’m met with a sea of Iyers. There is a homam in the middle of the mahamandapam, around the Iyers are gathered, chanting. There must be about 35 to 40 of them. I walk to the back and find the bhaktar sabhai aandu vizha thiruvasagam reading going on. Both the homam chants and the thiruvasagam recitations are heard together over the speakers, but they’re not chaotic – there is harmony to it.
I was delightfully surprised to find the two main priests performing the homam to be Saiva scholars at the IFP, Thirukumaran and one other whose name I don’t recall.
The homam has 21 Kalasas near the altar, which are sprinkled with water and flowers. The homam is complete by 1030am and everybody moves towards the garbhagriha. This is the start of the Ekadasha Rudrabhishekam - dedicated to the eleven forms of Rudra: Kapali, Pingala, Bheema, Virupaksha, Vilohita, Shastra, Ajapaad, Ahirbudhnya, Shambhu, Chand, and Bhava.
The abhishekam procedure is unlike anything I’ve seen elsewhere. The accompanying Iyers fill the ardhamandapam, filling the sanctum with the resonances of their chants. The abhishekam ingredients are poured not directly onto the lingam, but through the jaladhara pot which hangs above, allowing a steady flow down. The entire scene has a deliberate slowness to it which, when paired with the sounds of the many voices, charges the atmosphere with an intense concentration. I only got to sit in the mahamandapam, so I really couldn't tell what was being poured. Once the jaladhara was emptied, water from one of the homam kalasas is poured over, followed by a bucket of steaming water. The curtain is briefly drawn then undrawn to reveal the Deeparadhanai – it is always a magical sight behold. After this the next abhishekam ingredient is poured into the jaladhara, and the procedure goes on. This is done 11 times with 11 homam kalasas, depicting the 11 different Rudras getting assimilated into the Formless One.
Minor notes: The lingam does not appear symmetrical – not sure if it has got misshapen due to slow water erosion, or whether it was already naturally so. Apparently after the 11 abhishekams at the lingam, the rest of the kalasas are offered in abhishekam to Amman. I wasn’t there to see them.