We’d been noticing, on the way to-from Kannika Parameswari’s many Navaratri days, that this littlest of theruvu koyils which had featured in our very first video on the temples of Pondicherry had a keeth shelter built outside and were doing pujas all through Naaratri. Never to big crowds at all, but doing them nonetheless. And they were continuing beyond Vijayadashami so we stopped by one day and found, to our surprise, quite a long schedule of events that, indeed, extended well beyond Navaratri. In fact, Vijayadashami’s key event, which is the slaying of Mahishasura, happens at this temple days after Dashami. Nobody really could explain why – “that day is for putting the ambu,” people said, “this is for Mahishasura’s Samharam” – not for a moment considering that the two are in fact one.
The swami purappadu would have started by 6pm, but we timed it to reach there at 830pm. It was perfect. A truck with a large cut-out figure stood near the temple, a distance from the cutting where the Utsavar was about to arrive, and was soon lit up from below. Amman as Durga, hair spread wide as though it was flying, hand on her trident, was in blazing red and coming down Kamatchi Amman Koyil St. just at the MG Road cutting. Two folk theatre performers came ahead of her, apparently gearing to go. A Thirunangai (transgender woman), and a man dressed much like Vallaraja at the Angalamman Mayana Kollai events earlier in the year. The pambaikarars arrive, and someone pulls a rope across the road. The Thirunangai (we’ll call her Durga from now on) stands on one side, in her red sari girdled with neem bunches, painted face and with her trident in hand. The Mahishasura figure, in his tights, skirt-like outfit and strange triangular hat and epaulettes, looking much like a burlesque figure, stood on the other. Then commenced the storytelling and the ritual re-enactment.
9 times Mahishasura comes, threatens, postures. 9 times, Durga battles him, with greater or lesser force, getting more and more tired each time and needing to be caught and resuscitated by the men tending to her, and failing, falling back. When she does, Mahishasura jumps back on the truck carrying the cut-out figure which has (we see now) detachable heads, switched out each time. First to come is Sooran, then Mahishasura (with a green buffalo head), the puli (tiger), the horse, the singham (lion, who looks like a horrifying cartoon character), the crocodile, the elephant, a bhootam like figure, a three-headed figure with Perumal namams, nama pola (or potta?) Sooran–and then finally Deception Himself in the form of the Atma lingam which must perforce be destroyed so the truth of the Atma Lingam can be retained. Each time he retreats, there is a burst of fire crackers (which some men on the side are coordinating)--not very loud ones, but enough to show his fiery retreat.
He recovers soon enough, he pushes the Goddess to her limits, but each time she summons the energy and she dances, round-round-round-round, and pushes her trident against him. 9 times he escapes. But the 10th time, when no less than the Atma Lingam is at stake–She strikes, Mahishasura falls, and the ignorance that he represents is reabsorbed into Her form.
A small deeparadhanai is done, and the whole procession flows forward once more to the temple. A small crowd has gathered, and it disperses. The Kannika staff and priest are at the temple entryway, watching. I think they close the temple rather later than usual this evening, because the drama at its doorstep draws their attention.
The Naga Muttu Amman Vizha goes on until November 2, finishing with an Unjal Utsavam. Sedal Utsavam is on October 30, but we won’t be able to attend. The full patrikai is in our photo files.