The Kapaliswara temple of Mylapore is ancient enough to have been visited and extolled in verses by the saint Tirugnansambandar. But what is even more interesting is the fact that it conducts the annual festival or Brahmotsavam with one day specially commemorating the 63 Saivite saints including Gnanasambandar.
It is believed that only five among the ancient Siva temples are endowed with bronze images of the sixty three saints. Many have stone images of these devotees lined up around the sanctum. But the few like Mylapore, Kumbakonam Adi Kumbeswarar, Tiruvarur, Chidambaram and Madurai can boast of truly beautiful statues crafted in bronze. Pilgrims often walk past them without observing them closely partly because they are all locked behind metal bars.
It is easy enough to identify the three: Tirunavukkarasar with his hoe, Sundaramurthi with his regal crown, and Gnanasambandar, the child with the tiny golden cymbals given to him by Siva himself. The only saint who is seated is Karaikkal Ammayar. One can also recognize Kannappar the hunter, with his bow and arrows and tribal head gear.
The momentous outing of the sixty three saints is preceded by elaborate preparations. All of them are given ritual baths (abhishekam) and clad in new vastrams, adorned with flower garlands and placed in groups of three or four in small crafted wooden palanquins which are then carried by volunteer youths. The more important of the saints have their own small palanquins. A lovely custom is to place name boards at the base of each statue for devotees to identify them. As the time of the commencement of the grand procession nears, the temple reverberates with the sound of drums and bugles. Conches are blown heightening the effect.
All the saints are carried, moving backwards in their worshipful mode of Kapaliswara as the majestic Lord emerges in a fantastic silver Vimana (canopied pavilion) in full royal regalia. Karpagambal and Singaravelan with his two consorts join the procession in grand array.
This is one occasion when visiting deities too join the procession. Among the notable are the Kolavizhi Amman, and the Murugan from an ancient temple in Chintadripet. Adorned from top to toe in diamond jewels, he used to be referred to as the “vaira swami.” He comes all the way with a police escort and returns to his temple late at night.
The festivity in the air is enhanced by special nagaswaram artists being invited to participate. There is the usual “band” group also specially engaged for the event. Other entertainment like Dummy horse show (Poikkal Kuthirai) and Karagattam keep the masses in thrall.
On this day, Mylapore is the centre of the universe and Kapaliswara is the Lord of all that He sees.
Picnic and pilgrimage
If there is one festival that entire Chennai revels in, it is Arubathu Moovar. Conducted on the eighth day of the Brahmotsavam of Sri Kapaliswara temple, the mammoth procession draws people , rich and poor, young and old, from across the metropolis. What is more interesting, the neighbourhood of Mylapore within a radius of three km gets ready for the occasion, with the grand car procession the previous day setting the tone.
April 02, 2015 was no different, with streets dotted with shelters where food was distributed. Passersby were also treated with cool buttermilk and paanagam. Amazing how It is a matter of amazement how these groups galvanise themselves into action. These makeshift pavilions spring up overnight as if some fairy swished its magic wand. The actual event begins early evening but people start arriving in buses and on foot, to soak in the atmosphere, visit the temple and purchase knickknacks from pavement hawkers. From palm fans to earthenware items and kitchen utensils, it is the humble vendor’s day out. Also, it is a massive open-air exhibition of the rich cultural heritage of the State.
Thursday being a Government holiday, the streets caught the fever quite early in the day. Activity picked up tempo as the day progressed. Muffled sounds gave way to high decibel noises with voices vying with the rustic pipes and horns that children blow lustily. The mood is always a curious mixture of the excitement of a picnic and the fervour of a pilgrimage.A seasoned visitor knows the trend. Divinity takes over once the temple procession starts wending its way along the four Mada streets and the onlookers, hitherto window shopping and bargaining with the hawkers, train their eyes on the petite palanquins that carry the images of the 63 Saivite saints. Slowly and reluctantly they disperse and start their way back home leaving a trail of paper cups, plates, etc., to be cleared by perhaps the same crew that was watching the spectacle late into the evening!
