“An inscription on the wall between the Perumal and Thayar shrines at the Thirumaliruncholai Divya Desam, in the outskirts of Madurai, refers to an undertaking during the coronation ceremony of Sundara Pandyan that he would continue the ‘Thalai Aruvi’ utsavam testifying that the one-of-its-kind festival at Nupura Ganga (Silambaru) is a historical one,” says ‘Ambi’ Narayana Bhattar, whose father and grandfather performed the Thailakkapu alankaram for the Lord on this day for over 80 years. And he is now continuing that tradition.
Periyazhwar in Nalayira Divya Prabhandam says that Pandya king Nedumaran of Koodal came to Thirumaliruncholai in a thanking gesture to the Lord and to celebrate his victory.
Legend has it that during his Trivikrama avatara, Mahavishnu’s feet stretched to Brahma Lokam, where Brahma poured sacred water on the Silambu/Nupuram, worn by the Lord on His feet.
And the water trickled down to this place in Thirumaliruncholai on Sukla Paksha Dwadasi in the Tamil month of Aippasi.
A trip to the water spring
To celebrate this legendary episode, Lord Kallazhagar, the utsava deity of Azhagar Koil, makes an annual trip to Nupura Ganga, up the hilly terrain, on this day every year in the Tamil month of Aippasi for Thailakappu and Neerattam utsavam. The event was enacted on November 1 at Thirumaliruncholai.
Led by the temple elephant, Lord Kallazhagar was carried in a procession by Sri Patham Thangis through the rough and dense thicket up Azhagar Malai to Nupura Ganga.
The Lord was placed at the specially decorated mandapam, where the ‘alankara specialist’ Ambi Bhattar anointed the Lord with oil and combed His hair.
In line with Periyazhwar’s praise of Silambaru as an ‘eternal water spring,’ water gushes down to Azhagar Koil from Nupura Ganga through the year — quite a unique feature of this location. Devotees joined the procession when Kallazhagar was led to Silambaru for a bath.
And Periyazhwar’s verse came to mind when that water was splashed on the devotees. Says the Azhwar — devotees come from towns and villages to take a dip in Nupura Ganga to wash away their sins.
After a long day out at the top of Thirumaliruncholai Malai, the Lord returned to his abode at Azhagar Koil late in the evening bringing to an end yet another episode of this historical and one of its kind utsavam.
Published - November 09, 2017 04:10 pm IST
