Vedapuriswara Brahmotsavam Day 10 and Varadaraja Perumal Brahmotsavam Day 9. — The ther at the Perumal Koyil is considerably larger than the Sivan Koyil’s. The wheels are of stone and metal, not wood; Vishwaksena draws the chariot, not Brahma. Perumal is hauled up a flight of stairs and placed in the heart of the chariot. A few moments of preparation, a final aradhanai, and the ther sets off rolling. Perumal is grand and magnificent, but the streets struggle to accommodate him. Tree cover amply obstructs Perumal’s giant chariot. Internet cables running across the road wrap around the ther’s kalasa and kodi. The procession is slow and arduous, inching forward in the gaps of laborious clearance. One great tree on Thiyagaraja Street had to be almost entirely felled so Perumal may pass. We almost miss the Nataraja Theerthavari at the Sivan Koyil because of this, but manage to catch its tail end.
The returning half seemed to pass quicker, and it was soon time for the theerthavari in the late afternoon. Perumal’s and his two consorts’ utsava murtis were set on steps that go down to the kulam. In front of them was also the “astra murti” equivalent – who is perhaps Vishwaksena? Perhaps Perumal himself? [TBC]. Upon completing the thirumanjanam, this astra murti was taken down the steps and, with the priest standing ankle deep in water, was given the Sahasradhara Abhishekam. The conch and chakra shaped vessels poured manjal-neer onto the Sahasradhara plate, showering the murti. In the blazing afternoon sun the sight and sound of the cool, refreshing thousand-fold trickles of water were most temptingly soothing to the senses.
The theerthavari is the last of the events that marks the ending of the Brahmotsavam proper. Later today the flag is lowered from the dhvajastambha, declaring the start of the six-day Vidaiyatri – concluding events.
The Sivan Koyil’s kodi comes down sooner than that of the Perumal Koyil. You can get a sense of what the event sounded like, from the songs of the Odhuvars from that their last day of this Brahmotsavam.
VEDAPURISWARA SCHEDULE
7:00 AM - Sri Nataraja Theradi Mithitthal Theerthavari.
9:00 AM - Chandrasekara Theerthavari & Abhishekam.
4:00 PM - Dvaja Avarohanam (Flag Lowering).
7:00 PM - Adhikara Nandi Procession.
PERUMAL
06:00 AM: Commencement of Chariot Festival
06:30 AM - 08:00 AM: Ratharohanam (Chariot Procession) in Mithuna Lagna, followed by Thirumanjanam and Theerthavari
08:00 PM: Dhvajavarohanam (Flag Lowering), Kumbha Prokshanam, Saattrumurai