Sri Siddheswari gets a special alankaram for Aadi Pooram. Most beautiful alankaram figure I’ve seen. Seems to have been made entirely from scratch, which is quite the process worth documenting in itself. Followed by a puja, done with utmost elegance and conscious intent by the priests. Very gratifying there, as always. There’s even a little Meru, covered in tossed kunkuma and flowers–a navavarna puja.
Manonmani alankaram (the priests tell us later) with head tilted slightly and body at an angle, legs coyly placed – superb. Done in-house, using chandanam to create correct face proportions so that the body can look correct, unlike the typical alankara we see elsewhere. Kunkuma Abhishekam. Seems to be a combo of Sanskrit And Tamil? (name of devi + “Om haam” & after that Tamil and potri vasippu).