Missed It
Went to Kamakshi Amman in the morning to try to salvage the error of missing Vishwakarma Jayanti yesterday! Some notes gathered [and placed on the ritual calendar document] after speaking to Periyavar:
The Vishwakarma Jayanti did happen on Sep 17 – we missed it. It was the classic abhishekam-alankaram-deeparadhanai for Vishwabrahma and Gayatri.
Dr. Sankaradevi was there as well, and spoke of the history and origin of the Vishwakarma community. This was followed by a meeting among members, possibly about the Kumbhabhishekam proceedings.
Periyavar goes on to tell us about Dr. Sankaradevi’s maternal grandfather, Subburaya Chettiar, owner of Valli Vilas, who was the one that made Periyavar join the Tevaram Pathasala in Cuddalore, and eventually appointed him at this temple.
The afternoon and evening were reserved for visits by MLAs and the CM.
We observed today’s conversation to again demonstrate the recurring pattern of people or institutions placing themselves within a broader network, as seen with Periyavar rattling off Chettiar names and familial connections and how he was groomed by them.