Vijayadasami Paarvettai purappadu at Thiruvallikkeni 2014

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 5^th Oct 2014.  On this day at Thiruvallikkeni, there was to be purappadu of Lord Parthasarathi on ‘kuthirai vahanam’. Sad that for the past year and this year, Perumal has purappadu in Kedayam only as the vahanam is undergoing repairs .. !!

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 – NamPerumal(Thiruvaranganar)  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,  Sri Parthasarathi had purappadu in Kedayam. It was ‘Sthothira Padal’ goshti ~ Thadi Panchakam and Sthothra Rathnam were rendered.  Perumal had kulakkarai purappadu – TP kovil 2^nd street, Bandala Venugopala Street and then from South Mada St Junction, today being Purattasi Thiruvonam – it was Sri Vedantha Char Sarrumurai and Swami Vedanthachar joined Sri Parthasarthi in periya maada veethi purappadu.

Here are some photos : of the symbolic vanni tree; the kuthirai vahana purappadu of last year; of today’s purappadu and Sri Vedanthachariyar. 

Adiyen Srinivasa dhasan.

 Divya Prabandha Goshti and  Sri Vedanthachariyar (Below)