The day after the Ther vizha, Draupadi amman’s chariot comes to roost at a small makeshift pandal near the Perumal Koyil. It remains there till the next morning. Then, this is the schedule:
Day 20: Aadi 23: Kenthapadi/Gendhapadi Utsavam: At Thiyagaraja Street, erecting a pandal for Abhishekam, flower decoration, and Prasadam distribution. The Chariot procession departs at 7:00 PM.
There is a very quick abhishekam for the 4 deities – Draupadi, Perumal, Arjuna, Pothuraja – which we missed, that’s how fast they did it. Needed to get it done so that they’re ready with alankaram by 7pm said the priest. I guess nobody wanted the delays of the previous day! Simple alankaram. Full meal prasadam comes from the Perumal koyil madapalli. Boys on this street are the ubhayakaras, and they’ve organised it. They seemed in charge the whole time, and came by at the start of the deeparadhanai for special blessings from the priest.
*why only kunkuma abhishekam for this amman? We have some time to talk to Ramradjou swami. He has seen the Kamakhya yoni being given a kunkuma abhishekam in the temple in Assam. Asked there if it could be done for any amman. Was told there was nothing wrong, it could. So he does it now only for the moolavar, never for the utsavas. So this is a practice not randomly brought in on a whim but on the authority of the practice in Kamakhya, and a sign of how these customs evolve and change in “conversation” with each other.
*priest and a helper talking about the ther route for this evening – starts from MG, goes all the way down to Govindasalai and then back via Anna Salai?? Or how? The concern was about the height, and preparations for wire cutting etc.
*parai notes: 2 kucchis, fatter one is sindu, thinner one is kucchi. They represent talam and naadam. Sindu illamal kucchi velai seiyaathu, kucchi illamal simbu velai seiyaathu – he parai is played with two sticks: one long, thin flat bamboo stick (approx. 28 cm) called 'Sindu/ Sundu Kuchi' and a short, thick stick called 'Adi Kucchi' that can be made from any variety of wood (approx. 18 cm)/ Adi kuchi. The man playing (in photos) is Kuppuswamy, and this is the 4th generation of players for this temple. He called it rajavadhyam, which I took to mean played ahead of Rajas – which is what he said. But rajavadhyam as such means “king of instruments” and can just as easily be applied to the nadaswaram.
In the evening – The ther is still parked at the northeast corner of Perumal Koyil. It’s going to leave from the ubhayakara’s house to go in procession around town. Departure time announced – 7pm. Time it eventually left – 830pm. Although meanwhile, from 720 onwards, preparations began. A table was brought before the deities; loud movie-style songs of Mariamman and Murugan blared, with coloured lights flashing from a mini-truck. The scene was also graced with the amusing presence of a lion and a gorilla mascot to whom all children flocked. A few members of the Nadaswaram team were visibly disappointed by these unceremonious additions. Prakash’s father also was evidently disappointed. Prakash arrived soon after with the Karagam from the temple on his head. Upon the table, a padayal was offered to the deities. Aradhanai, archanai, followed by the deities being carried to the ther up the road. It was a short walk stretched long – very slow, swaying steps for the deities, accompanied by the drowned Nadaswarams faintly audible due to the speakers blaring their own music. Perumal and Arjuna cross MG road and board their respective vandis. Draupadi Amman is hoisted once again onto her regal seat in the ther. Aradhanai for all three in the same sequence, and finally the ther pushes off. The Karagam is placed on Arjuna’s vandi and completes its procession on that seat.
I watch the ther cross MG road – exactly 15 meters – which takes well over 20mins because of the unending traffic caused by Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit to the town. I plan to have dinner and return to catch the ther on Nehru street. But gates of heaven open upon the Perumal-led crew, and all plans are washed away.