Thiruvallikkeniyile Uriyadi Thiruvizha !!

On 23.10.2021, there was activity in the intersection of Theradi theru / Singarachari Street @ Thiruvallikkeni – it was enactment of age-old game associated with Lord Krishna. (this year immediately on the Saturday after Corona restrictions were eased)

பாஹி பாஹி ஜகன் மோஹன க்ருஷ்ணா!  பரமானந்த ஸ்ரீக்ருஷ்ணா !!! 

தேவகீவஸுதேவ, நந்தன க்ருஷ்ணா!  …திவ்ய ஸுந்தர ஸ்ரீக்ருஷ்ணா !!!

Srijayanthi denoting the birth of Bhagwan Sree Krishna is the  most acclaimed day  ~     -  Sri Periyazhwar sings that – people living in those beautiful mansions, spilled oil and turmeric powder on one another, in celebrations thus slushing the portico of Sri Krishna’s house.  .. .. .. Uriyadi is an important celebration on Sri Jayanthi day.   

Mathura is the holy place where Lord Krishna was born…. ~ the centre of what is fondly referred as Braj bhoomi.  Remember Lord was born in a prison cell at Mathura, the capital of   Surasena kingdom ruled by Kamsa, the maternal uncle of the Lord.  Centuries later,  Mathura was one of the capitals of Kushan dynasty. Megasthenes, writing in the early 3rd century BCE, mentions Mathura as a great city.

கண்ணனது பிறந்த நாள் கொண்டாட்டங்களில் முக்கியமான ஒன்று *உறியடி  திருவிழா !!* திருவல்லிக்கேணியில் உள்ள யாதவர்கள்  உறியடி திருவிழாவினை சிறப்பாக கொண்டாடுவர். ஸ்ரீஜெயந்தி அடுத்த நாள் ஸ்ரீபார்த்தசாரதி பெருமாள் புறப்பாட்டின் போது விமர்சையாக கொண்டாடப்படும் இவ்விழா, சிலவருஷங்களாக 5வது புரட்டாசி சனிக்கிழமை (ஐப்பசியில் வரும் !) அன்றும் கொண்டாடி வருகின்றனர்.

பெரிய ட்ரம்களில் தண்ணீர் வைத்து உருளிகள் மூலம் வாகாய் சுழற்றி  வேகமாய் உறியடி அடிக்கவருவோர்மீது பலர்அடிப்பர். இது சாட்டைஅடி போன்று விழும்.   பெரியாழ்வார் திருமொழியில் - திருவாய்ப்பாடியிலே ஆயர்கள்,  கண்ணன் பிறந்த ஸந்தோஷம் உள்ளடங்காமல், நெய்யும் பாலும் தயிருமிருக்கிற உறிகளை அறுத்துக் கொண்டுவந்து முற்றத்திலே உருட்டிவிட்டு ஆடினார்கள் என்கிறார்.  ஆயர்கள் வீட்டில் பால், வெண்ணை, தயிர் நிறைய இருக்கும் - அவற்றை வியாபாரமும் செய்து பெருக்குவர்.  அவற்றைக்கூட தள்ளி உடைத்து கொண்டாடினர் என்றால் அன்று அவர்கள் எவ்வளவு ஆனந்தித்து இருக்க வேண்டும் !  

The day next to Sree Jayanthi – in the evening, occurs  the grand purappadu of Sri Parthasarathi, as ‘Krishna with flute’ in beautiful sitting posture on ‘Punnai tree’ [Pinnakilai vahanam].  BalaKrishnar would be there in the vahanam too.   On this occasion, ‘uriyadi’ – the game of hitting the hanging object [with hidden gifts inside]  with sticks  is played, specially by Yadavas (the cowherds), the clan of Lord Krishna Himself.  The game is very fierce as the clubbing with a stick is made most tough with  others fiercely throwing  water on the player.  The water twirled out of cone shaped pitchers would flow like a whip and can cause some pain too, when struck.  This is a traditional game.   

In the Northern part of India ~  on the occasion of Krishna Janmashtami is played ‘Dahi Handi’ ~ which in recent years has been in news because of Court imposing restrictions.  In the annual Dahi Handi ritual, human pyramids compete to reach for Dahi Handis or pots filled with curd that are strung up high on poles. Participants call themselves "Govindas" - another name for Lord Krishna - and wear colourful costumes

At Thiruvallikkeni divyadesam, the  Sreejayanthi purappadu - is a rare occasion when there is no arulicheyal goshti.  In  Uriyadi  purappadu,  Yadavas have prominence ~   group of kids and a couple of elderly persons with sticks in hand for Uriyadi  would come in procession chanting  Govinda on their lips.     

the verses that you read at the beginning are from Sri Krishna Leela Tarangini,  a  Sanskrit opera authored by Narayana Teerthar. The Sri Krishna Leela Tarangini is an opera set in the yakshagAna style. It portrays incidents in the life of Krishna from his birth till his marriage to his eight queens – and there are 120 kirtanas.   The songs are in chaste Sanskrit, clear diction and are rich in poetic quality. Tarangini is an opera highly suitable for dance drama and it has been very well utilized by Indian classical dancers over the last two centuries.  Its author Narayana Tirtha, a great scholar, lived in the 17th century AD.   He was born in Andhra Pradesh but later by divine direction moved to Thanjavur and was attracted to Varagur temple.  By divine intervention he reached the village of Bhupatirajapuram and the temple of Venkatesvara there.  He is believed to have completed the composition of the Krishna Leela Tarangini at Varagur. Varagur is situated on the bank of the River Kudamurutti, tributary of river Cauvery, near Thiruvaiyaru.  

Here is a rendition of ‘pahi, pahi Jaganmohana Nandana’ by K Jesudoss. : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mrBYBxZ2WE

During his life, in this village, he used to celebrate “Krishna Astami” popularly known as Uriyadi. Even today the “Krishna Astami” festival being celebrated by the inhabitants of the village in the same traditional way which Great Saint Narayana Theertha Swamigal started during his later period of his life. The Festival starts on the next day of “Yajur Upakarma” i.e on “Gayathri Japam Day”. During this 11 day festival Veda Parayanam of Rig, Yajur, Sama and Atharvana is  recited by the Great and Learned Sanskrit Scholars. Bajans and Divyanama Samkirthanams   and  upanyasams  by Sanskrit Pandits.  Sri Narayana theerthar is belived to have attained siddhi in 1745 at   Thirupoonthuruthy under a huge mango tree, on the banks of river Kudamurutti. 

Here are some photos of Uriyadi @ Thiruvallikkeni  taken by me on  23.10.2021.  You may have observed the cylindrical cones used for whiplashing water .. .. the above is a special one !! 

adiyen Srinivasa dhasan
Mamandur Veeravalli Srinivasan Sampathkumar
29^th Oct 2021.