Angalamman’s monthly Amavasya Unjal Utsavams are of known importance and assuredly pull great crowds. On the auspicious night of Mahalaya when the goddess descends into her great worldly abode – maha-aalayam – it becomes an occasion for greater celebrations. Across the hall, beyond the throng of devotees, Angalamman swings on the unjal; though not alone. She sits to the far left, and on the far right, with her Kiridam tilted right, sits the Vaishnava poetess-goddess Andal. In between the two, bridging the Saiva-Vaishnava split of the goddesses, is Harihara – Vishnu and Siva.
A performance of folk song with the pumbai drum distinguishes tonight from other regular Amavasyas. The singing is conversational much like it was on the day of Vallala Kottai, although it seems more structured than that. The singers stay on the topic of the deities’ stories and don’t interlace them with colloquialisms. It seems to be done more meaningfully rather than purely entertainingly.