Showing posts with label procession. Show all posts
Showing posts with label procession. Show all posts

18 January 2016

Photographs of Gods, Thiruvoodal 2016

Gods give darshan at Alankaram Mandapam, outside Big Temple

Lord Arunachaleswarar giving Darshan

The Goddess

A Devotee's offering to the Gods

Crowds on Thiruvoodal Street, Pongal 2016

Crowds on Car Street, Tiruvannamalai

Gods carried on Palanquins

 Poles under Palanquin covered with cloths for easy carry

Musicians accompanying the Gods

Gods returning to the Big Temple

Devotees struggling to bear the heavy weight of the Palanquin

Goddess also on a Palanquin

[Thanks to Mr. Hari Prasad for these wonderful photographs of 2016 Pongal on this posting and on the previous two postings on Arunachala Grace].


6 October 2013

Visit to an Elephant



Being that I love elephants and also enjoy a nice, celebratory procession, I visited Sri Seshadri Ashram yesterday (Saturday October 5, 2013) in order that I could view the procession connected with the Raja Parivara Puja, which was scheduled to leave that Ashram at 4.00 p.m. As things usually get off to a slow start I turned up at Sri Seshadri Ashram at about 4.30 pm. But was disappointed to see that neither the horse nor cow (for the puja) had arrived, and that arrangements for the procession seemed to be delayed.

Fortunately the sweet elephant from Trichy was on time and was waiting patiently at the Ashram whilst snacking on some nice greens. I was told that she had been transported from Trichy by lorry, which I suppose in these days of speeding vehicles on overburdened roadways is the safest solution. In quieter times elephants would have a nice walk to functions. In days previously whenever Sri Sathya Sai Baba was switching from his Puttaparthi Ashram to his Whitefield Ashram, his elephant Geeta, would be taken between those stops by a long, leisurely walk. 

I waited at Sri Seshadri Ashram till about 5.00 p.m. but as not much progress was being made starting up the procession, decided to leave and go upon my household shopping duties. 



Having a little munch

Checking it all out

Wearing freshly painted face decorations

Pots inside Sri Seshadri Siddhar Hall

Young lads with their musical instruments


The sweet elephant wearing her "fancy dress" outfit

30 November 2008

Durgambal Procession


Saturday 29th November marked the beginning of the 2008 Deepam Festival with the procession of Durgambal seated on Kamadhenu (the wish fulfilling cow) being taken on a clockwise procession from Durga Amman Temple around the perimeter streets of the 26 acre Arunachaleswarar Temple and thereafter returning back to her own Temple. The first photograph is of the statue at the Durga Temple before being placed on the Kamadhenu.



Below a close-up of the Goddess.


This year large screens have been installed around Arunachaleswarar Temple, and one giant screen inside, so that later days of the Festival can be seen by the greatest number of devotees. The procession through the town plays a very important role in maintaining a living relationship with the ordinary folk going about their business throughout the day, who sometimes may not have sufficient opportunities to attend functions inside the Temple itself. As is always the case in such functions, the procession stops whenever people along the route make offerings.



In the above photograph the Goddess is seated on Kamadhenu (the cow) at one of the Gopurams (entrances) of the Big Temple (Arunachaleswarar). Decorations are already up at the Big Temple and like last year I hope to post a photograph from Arunachala Hill looking downwards to the Temple, to show the beautiful brightly-lit Arunachaleswarar Koil.

31 January 2008

Thiruvoodal Festival


An important festival connected with Arunachala occurs during the time of Pongal and is known as the Thiruvoodal Festival. This Festival is celebrated on January 16th and is ennacted inside the compound of Arunachaleswarar Temple, on the streets delineating the perimeter of the Temple, and on the girivalam pathway itself, by iconic representations of Shiva/Parvati in order to convey moral and social truths to their devotees.




The word 'Voodal,' means 'petty quarrel' or 'tiff' and emissaries are employed by both of the Divine Couple to convey messages between the deities and participate in ‘brokering a deal’ between them.


A variety of sagas (all listed below) concerning the Gods are used to create the scenario of the 'petty quarrel' that needs resolution.


And at the end of their quarrels, finally:



Returning to his residence at the Arunachaleswarar Temple, Shiva knocks at the door but it has been bolted by Parvati. As if he didn’t know, Lord Shiva asks,
‘Oh my darling why have you locked the door?’
‘Sir after we came to an understanding still you went without me. And see now look you have lost everything there is no ornament or clothes. Not, only that but you went and gave darshan to all kinds of people. So, I am now requesting you must establish your manliness to me and retrieve everything that is lost and give the special one-legged dance.’
Shiva starts the dance, Parvati forgets everything and opens the door.

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Thiruvoodal Sagas

Story of Ganga

Goddess Parvati is happy watching the one-legged dance of Lord Shiva, but on noticing Goddess Ganga in the matted locks of her Lord, Parvati becomes recalcitrant and withdrawn. Shiva asks his emissary Sundarar to;
‘Please go and tell her the reason. My dear friend Sundaram, I do not do anything for my own self-interest; Bhagavati did intense tapas to bring down the river of the Gods, the Ganga, in order to pacify the souls of the 1,000 ancestors that had been burnt by the look of Kapala Rishi. Because Bhagavati did tapas, the Ganga was brought down, I had nothing to do with it and when the water came down it was so forceful, everyone said it had to be stopped or it would destroy the earth. So, what was meant to be the medicine is turning out to be another story. So they asked me to do this thing, so please explain this to Parvati. Tell her that all the creatures of the world, her creatures would have been destroyed unless I had helped negate the power of the water cascading unto the Earth.’


Mohini and the Sages

Because the Rishis of Dwaraka got too proud in that they had technology that could yield anything and attain all fruits, they started to believe that there was no need for any divine person as they had the use of; ‘yagna’ technology. In addition they had wives of unquestionable chastity.
Shiva informs Sundarar to convey to Parvati that;
‘To show the Rishis, that they are born of you (i.e. Parvati) and me and are our progeny and shouldn’t think that power is coming to them on its own. If their activities bear fruits it is because we have laid down the laws for it.
To show this, I ordained that the enchantingly beautiful Mohini (a manifestation of Lord Vishnu) appeared to the Rishis, who were completely ensared by her, as too were the rishis’ wives to my own Form as an mouna ascetic. I did this to the reduce the ego of these rishis and also grace their wives by affording them darshan of my mouna ascetic manifestation.


Shiva’s ascetic manifestation

Shiva says in the course of the Thiruvoodal;
‘Don’t put your trust into anything, everything is reduced to bone – all is reduced to ashes. So this is the symbol of the final residue. So, that is the reason I am found with this skull, no other reason.’


Sage Bringi

In order to give darshan and blessings to the Sage Bringi, Shiva sets off to perform circumbulation of Arunachala, and thus enrages Parvati who is angry with the sage for his refusal to worship her.** Parvati’s anger, creates maya (Maya Swarupa), and from that maya emerge thieves who strip Shiva of his ornaments and clothes, whilst he is performing pradakshina. This stripping of Shiva is actually yearly enacted at the same spot (during Voodal Festival) upon the idol that is being carried around the Hill.
Shiva explains to Parvati (through his emissary Sundarar) that, to satisfy the desire of devotees, he has taken a vow to appear in the form in which he is worshipped. In accordance with that vow he has given darshan to Bringi. He further tells his emissary Sundarar to convey to Parvati;
‘My darling you know Sakti can never be separated from Shiva in just the way the mud pot can never be separated from the mud. You can’t say, “Give the pot without all that other stuff!” You cannot have the form just like that. You know it my dear that Shiva-Sakti can never be separated, so in accordance with the understanding of devotees, I am appearing in this form.’
‘Sundarar please explain to Parvati so that she will reduce this tiff.’
Returning to his residence at the Arunachaleswarar Temple, Shiva knocks at the door but it has been bolted by Parvati. As if he didn’t know, Lord Shiva asks,
‘Oh my darling why have you locked the door?’
‘Sir after we came to an understanding still you went without me. And see now look you have lost everything there is no ornament or clothes. Not, only that but you went and gave darshan to all kinds of people. So, I am now requesting you must establish your manliness to me and retrieve everything that is lost and give the special one-legged dance.’
Shiva starts the dance, Parvati forgets everything and opens the door.



Story of Bringi’s maya**


“Sage Bringi considered that Shiva’s Grace the ultimate source for existence. He was an ardent votary of Lord Shiva to the exclusion of any deity in the worship including Parvati! He refused to worship Shakti, a woman. Even during his daily worship, he would circumbulate only the Lord ignoring Mother Shakti, with a flashing spark of arrogance.

The divine couple wanted to enlighten the sage and hence assumed a unique form sharing his body with Parvati. The couple took the form of Ardhanareshwara and stood unified inseparable to every atom. Even then the egoistic sage took the form of a bee (Bringa is a Sanskrit for Bee and the sage came to be called Bringi because he once became a bee) and tried to pierce through the body of the Lord so that he could go around only the Shiva part.

In every human body the static force of Shiva constitutes the bone and the skin and the dynamic force of Shakti triggers the blood and flesh. Goddess Shakti, being the power as the name indicates, pulled out her energy from Bringi's body. Now he was a mere skeleton and was even unable to stand. The Lord pacified Parvati and gave the sage one more leg to stand. The sage soon realized his folly and understood that life becomes dynamic only by the blending of both grace and force which are not contradictory but complementary to each other.”

[Sage Bringi story with thanks to Aravind Venkatraman]

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In this month's Arunachala Grace News the 'Thiruvoodal' is examined in greater depth. So if you are not yet a subscriber to the Newsletter, please check out the subscribe facility at the left hand column of this page, under Newsletter.