Ramanan Gurukkal alerted us to this event. We went to Lawspet Murugan Koyil around 9am, and found the whole group from the Veerabhadraswamy Chowdambika temple there with Karagam, and from there the procession wound through the town and returned to the Murugan temple and then “home” via the main road (going past the temple in the middle of the road). This is a festival of the Devanga Chettiars, who are originally from parts of Karnataka and Andhra, but long settled as weaving communities in parts of Tamil Nadu.
A group of dancers from Salem leading the way, along with musicians. A hollow-sounding thavil and Nadaswaram greatly out-sounded by other instruments and sounds. Priest was Panrutti Krishnan, coming alongside the Shakti Karagam, which was guarded by two men holding long knives in an X across the front. Traditional body flowers are also X across front and back, as in the Draupadi Amman tradition, too. Many stops along the way, either at homes (archanai thattu) or otherwise, while veera kumaras (who had had their kaappu tied at the Veerabhadra temple early am) took swords and made their promises to Amman, while hitting themselves a lot (or a little) with knives. Someone holding a tray with pandaram (a turmeric mixture though I only saw turmeric) to sprinkle on the wounds. Dancers may have been a paid team, but they were often hitting and bleeding, too. And they all had kaappu tied. Priest “spoke” to the deity multiple times, a particularly dramatic style of prayer that addressed Her by name (Iswari, Shambhavi, Bhadrakali, Jagadamba…) and then also seemed to ask “will I not do . XYZ” – eg. Dandam pettava? Addressing the men I suppose, Will you not bow down/ do dandam? To which the crowd answer was “bal-re” which one old man explained as the equivalent of Christians saying “amen,” an affirmation. This call and response was the mode of “speaking” throughout. “Shakti Chamundi Jyothi amma Baa maa” – is the line used in other processions, similar utterances here. Lots of lime-camphor turmeric arati-drishti, happened multiple times. At one place, women came to wash feet and apply turmeric-kunkuma. Priest would also pick up swords periodically and “perform” before continuing to walk again. At one point, he sang something I think from the Abhirami Anthathi, perhaps the same as was being sung in the Sivan koyil – so this was the only Tamil, in addition to the Telugu and somewhat Kannada sounding chanting call-response.
Re-entering the temple, the chants were different again, going around the prakaram before going into the garbhagriha, again different and followed by “Raa, Amma” multiple times. Men of all ages, kids maybe 10 years or so, not all experts, but learning. Lots of room for novices. See this for more.
Returning, the priests go to the Draupadi Amman temple next door, about a block away, to fetch water. In an older time, this might have been from a well or a kulam, but it’s interesting that the “theertham” comes here as with the Draupadi amman temple from a different location, a nearby (allied?) temple. Though in both cases, people seemed to storm in, do their thing, and leave with no participation as such from the attending priests. The large rounded mud pot is washed, spread with turmeric paste, marked with Siva’s ash tripundra tied with rakshai, adorned with yellow samandi flowers, betel leaves banana offered, vatti, small archana, fruit coconut prasadam given to the ubhayakaras presumably – some limes tossed into the pot, and then maybe a little water. But I think water was carried in a kudam to the temple by another man. This mud pot was hoisted onto the shoulder of a man who had been holding one of the Devi’s swords – he was himself anointed in much the same way as the pot. Carried it out and back to the VB temple, with men along the way pouring water to cool the path. Pot carried into the garbhagriha.
After this, an abhishekam to a silver sword happens. Starts with Sandanadi Thailam, abhisheka podi, then rice flour which is unique. After that all the usual oblations, but the swarnabhishekam happens with coins physically being poured and then a few ornaments also offered. The crowd is large, the mandapam (with images of Kailaiyam plastered on the wall) is packed. People are kind, they make room for us – two men hold their hands and allow me to sit and take photos outside the garbhagriha after the pot has been placed there, a kaappu for me. An older man there is the one who gives me information about the origins of the priest and what happens etc. The temple priests as such seem less involved. He tells me the sword will stand on the pot by a mechanism nobody can fathom, and it remains till night. After that, they take maavu (rice flour) and then go on a veethi ula, perhaps going back to the Murugan temple and then coming “home” after. Anyone can come see, but nobody should wear black – or else the sword falls down.
After abhishekam, the doors close and the sword is placed. Unclear how it’s made to stand, but it does. We get our darshan and leave.
Very entrancing energy around there as the Katthi Poduthal goes on. Self-inflicted Self-surrender.