The consecration of three temples situated on one premises took place on September 16 at a village in Kumbakonam. It was female power all the way as the women of Annal Agraharam of Ariya Thidal off the Mahamaham Tank got together and conducted the kumbabhishekam. Guided by Mahalakshmi Subramaniam of Mahalakshmi Charitable Trust, the women rallied round local leader Selvi to perform the formidable task. On the mangalavadyam was a woman. Young children, women and men were present in large numbers to take part in the various rituals connected with the event. A heavy downpour on the previous day did not dampen their spirit.
Panchavadyam accompanying a procession
Consecration was done to the shrines of Sundareswarar, Meenakshi, Vinayakar, Subramanyar, Durga, Sastha, Brahma, Bhairavar, Venkatachalapati, Padmavathi Thayar, Garudar, Anjaneya and Rudramahakali. The site vibrated with Melam, Panchavadyam, Veda Mantram and the chorus chanting of the devotees. Abhishekam of the Moolavar was followed by Tirukkalyanam of the divine couples. The procession of the Utsava deities on Garuda Vahanam and Nandikeswara completed the colourful agenda.
The consecration of Venkatachalapati vimanam
Worshipped by Annadana Sivan, who fed lakhs of people on festive days, especially Mahamaham, in the 1900s, the temple had become dilapidated and the idols were scattered. The villagers, women in particular, decided to revive the temple. An emotional Mahalakshmi Subramaniam said, “I politely declined to take up the renovation, when the villagers mooted it, because the Trust was handling too many projects. But Selvi came to Chennai with a delegation of 100 women and changed my mind. I’m glad we didn’t miss this rare opportunity and am sure that the villagers will take care of the temple.” An equally moved Selvi said, “This village is blessed to have had this incredible chance. We have never seen anything like this in many years.” At a special pandal, food was served non-stop to all women attending the festival, which stood out for the sincerity, simplicity and humility of those involved.
Vimanam of Sundareswarar shrine
Seeing the article in these columns (September 9), the descendants of Annadana Sivan travelled to the village and attended the function. “We have heard about our great-grandfather and his legendary service, which was hailed by none other than Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati. But having migrated from the State long ago, we were not aware of this temple. The villagers and the Trust were not able to locate us. We learnt about this consecration through newspapaper articles, especially The Hindu , and made a dash. We thank the villagers, who took the initiative and the Mahalakshmi Charitable Trust, which has supported them in every way,” said the great-grand daughter of Annadana Sivan.
The next target of the villagers and the Trust is to restore Annadana Sivan Matam, which is in ruins, and perform Annadanam on a daily basis. For details contact 9840053289.
