Organised by the Siruthonda Bhakta Sabhai, this festival is in honour of Karaikkal Ammaiyar. At the Vedapuriswara Koyil, a whole Chariot top is made with mangoes, and mangoes are hung (in unfortunate plastic sleeves) or tied into every possible location. Meanwhile, Karaikkal Ammavar and her utsavar figure get an abhishekam, while a large group of women sing her songs outside the Nayanmar sannadhi. It is unfortunately not very attuned singing, and there’s a noticeable difference for the short time Lalitamma takes the microphone. I borrow one of their booklets and make a PDF out of it for the files. Ammavar meanwhile gets a full alankaram with flower maalas and a crown of manoranjitham – she’s almost made to look attractive, and I’m left wondering what a woman who consciously gave up her beauty for the visage of a ghoul in her self-offering to Siva would say about this latter day re-transformation.
There’s a mad crush when the alankarified utsava murti is brought out into the mampazha ther–for the first time, I hear a priest saying “this whole event is all about taking photos and not about seeing Ammavar with bhakti!” We can barely catch a glimpse in between and behind all those with cameras and phones, except via their LCD screens.
The mangani ther goes around the prakaram thrice, and it is quite a sight. Some have organised for water to be poured in places where the stone is heated by the mid-day sun so that priests and devotees can walk without being scorched. The mangani ther stops for a while at the Sivan and Ambal sannadhis before returning. Much later in the evening, when we return – she’s still there in the ther, all alone and unattended. We get our private moments with her then.
In other temples, I’m told, Lord Siva as Bhikshatanar (who comes begging for food and is given one of her mangoes) is taken out on a grand procession. Devotees gather on their rooftops and throw mangani (ripe mangoes) into the streets below for the crowd to catch. Catching these mangoes is believed to bring divine blessings and fulfil wishes. But here the purappadu is inside, so no such throwing happens, thankfully!