Vijayadasami Paarvettai purappadu at Thiruvallikkeni :
திருவல்லிக்கேணி "விஜயதசமி" புறப்பாடு.
In the month of Purattasi is celebrated the nine day festival of Navarathiri. In all these days, there will be grand
purappadu of Vedavalli Thayar inside the temple premises. ‘Siriya
Thirumadal’ is recited during the
purappadu. The last day is celebrated as Saraswathi Pooja, the day of
reverence to the Lord of Learning.
The next day is Vijayadasami ~ the day considered
most auspicious for starting learning. Children are put in schools
and taught the first syllable known as “Aksharabyasam”. This year Vijayadasami
fell on 14th Oct 2013. On this day at Thiruvallikkeni,
there was to be purappadu of Lord Parthasarathi on ‘kuthirai vahanam’.
In the epic Mahabaratha, during their exile Pandavas had to
spend a year without revealing their identities. This period was
spent on Virada desam. This is explained in detail in Virada parvam
of Mahabaratha. On Vijayadasami day which coincided with completion
of their one year in exile, in the war to protect Virada kingdom,
Arjuna took back his bows and arrows hitherto hidden in a ‘vanni tree’.
On Vijaya Dasami day at Thiruvallikkeni, ‘vanni tree
parvettai’ is enacted every year. This
is symbolically celebrated at the entrance of the temple itself ; in olden days
[till a decade ago] this act called
‘paarvettai’ took place in Vasantha bungalow situate in Venkatrangam Street.
Now that picturesque bungalow and the mantap are no longer there. At the
entrance of the temple, leaves of vanni are symbolically placed and the Lord comes near
the tree ~ after aarathi, couple of
leaves get plucked by the battar representing the Perumal.
In the bhooloka Vaikuntam of Thiruvarangam – Num Perumal
visits Kattazhigaya Singar temple located just over a kilometre East of Thiruvarangam
Periya Kovil. The legend has it that wild animals constantly
attacked the families of the rishis and consumed them. While the rishis,
through severe penance, had the power to burn the animals just by their looks,
they sought not to forego the fruits of their penance by killing these wild
animals. Instead, they undertook a more severe form of penance invoking the
blessings of Lord Narasimha. Pleased with their prayers, Lord Narasimha appeared before
these rishis and is now worshipped at this place.
On Vijaya dasami
day, Nam Perumal [Sri Ranganathar] reaches this temple and in the evening – and
in the evening mounted on a gold Horse releases arrows with brass heads from
cane bows – the enactment of hunting scene of Nam Perumal slaying the
Vanniyasura, the forest demon and symbolically reenacting the protection of
good always.
At Thiruvallikkeni, it was exceptionally a hot day…… Sri
Parthasarathi Swami was beautifully decorated as an Emperor riding the golden
horse and the purappadu was to take place around 0530 pm. It rained heavily impeding the vahana
purappadu ~ hence Sri Parthasarathi had purappadu in Kedayam dressed in the
same manner as He would have appeared atop the horse. It was indeed a great darshan to behold. It
was ‘Sthothira Padal’ goshti ~ Thadi Panchakam and Sthothra Rathnam were
rendered. Perumal had kulakkarai
purappadu – TP kovil 2nd street, Bandala Venugopala Street and then
had periya maada veethi purappadu.
Here are some photos : of the symbolic vanni tree; the
kuthirai vahana purappadu of last year; of today’s purappadu
Adiyen Srinivasa dhasan.
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