There are three things going on at the Sivan Koyil when we enter at 830am: the yagasala homam (Sri Mahavidya Tripura Sundari homam, being done by Arjun Gurukkal who officiated at the Vaikasi Brahmotsavam and another who is a scholar at IFP), a Durga puja (abhishekam and alankara done before we get there, prasadam viniyogam/distribution about to start), and a Gopuja.
Morning kaalam homam has Damana in a basket which they offer to the kalasams. We are intrigued by this presence of Damana for the Tripurasundari Homam, trying to make connections of the Kama story relevance here. But we are told by Arjun Gurukkal that they used Damana only because there was spare, not because of ritual prescription or necessity. There is a lot of spare damanam around this time of year, as we are soon to find.
The Durga puja is being done by the Bhaktar sabhai, if the yellow sign that usually signals their events is any indication. Ladies are in a crowd doing their chanting. The morning’s event is followed daily in the evening by a puja and further parayanam. Yesterday, the group was in the maha mandapa, many in the day’s colour (orange), and somewhat unconcerned with the Parashakti purappadu when it happened.
Next, Gopuja. There is a lady who comes to the Sivan Koyil daily to do a trishathi puja– 300 holy names (Trishati) of Tripura Sundari. For the 9 navaratri days, the daily early morning ubhayam for the temple’s Gopuja is also hers. The IFP priest is the one who performs the Gopuja, and it is a brief affair. Cows are anointed with a paste of chandanam, and turmeric, kunkuma dotted on top. Two round smears on the two sides of the rear, along the back and tail. (The priest asks me to do the smearing, and shows me how when I ask but he presumes I will know already–at my age, I’m expected to have seen many such pujas already.) Cow and her calf are draped with fabric, puja begins for Mahalakshmi (always at the back, never ahead of the cow where her older sister Moodevi sits), the lady sponsoring does 3 pradakshinas around both cow and calf, one at a time, flower on the cow’s rear, a basket of fruit is brought out and offered (the cows get to eat from it later, very tenderly offered and fed), lamps are waved. And that’s pretty much done.
There is a steady stream of devotees into the garbhagriha, we notice golu bommais in the ardha mandapa with Parashakti–though this is her mandapa, exclusively. More devotional incursions?
On the way out, Arasoo Mama passes by on his scooter looking most un-Arasoo mama like in a striped shirt, and he talks about the importance of this puja being done daily–Siva has a bull after all, his keeping one is a sign of his protection of the herding traditions. In the past cows and bulls were just kept, he said, long past their ages of utility. Then came the British and the merchant men, who said: why, why not utilise. When the utilitarian logic came in is where the troubles began. Traditions of using leather for instruments were from cows and bulls who died naturally. Pujas are meant to use only dry wood, dry coconuts – no difficulty to anyone, hands folded. But if we once had more cows per number of people, now those numbers are stilted, space is lost, agrarian customs are lost, and a commercial mindset prevails. Now there appears no option other than slaughter.
Oh, and the alankaram for Visalakshi today is Kamakshi!
From the whiteboard: 12.10.26 Navaratri Thingatkizhamai
Kaalai 9.30 Manikku Swami - Ampaalukku Abhishekam Nadaiperum. Ubayathaarar: Thiru. UCO Bank Oozhiyaargal
Maalai 4.30 Manikku Mel Durgai-kku Sirappu Abhishekam Matrum Deeparadhanai Nadaiperum. Ubayathaarar: Thiru. Nesal Srinivasan Kudumbasthinar