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| West tower. Thyagaraja Swamy temple, Thiruvarur, TN.esamskriti.com |
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| Thyagaraja Swamy temple, Thiruvarur, TN. tourmyindia.com |
At Sri Thygaraja Swamy temple, Thruvarur the night puja ritual (Raa Kaala Puja) wherein the God is retiring to the bed chamber in an interesting one. The deity is taken to the Palli Aarai that is located near the sanctum within the temple premises. Several Hindu temples of Tamil Nadu have\ time-horned worship rituals distinctively unique to them and the temple management as much as possible follows the rich tradition with dedication without deviating from the original process. At the Thruvarur Thygaraja temple, one of the biggest temples in Tamil Nadu, with the most number of shrines (sannadhis) and the heaviest temple chariot in the country, the tradition has it it follows 6 - Kaala Puja/prayer starting from the morning till late night. Of them, the night ritual Raa Kaala puja is a fascinating one.
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| Thygaraja Swamy temple, shrines and towers, Thiruvarur. .mandirmandir.com |
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The strange ritual of preparing the deity for the night's rest is not an elaborate one here. Nor does it involve chanting of mantras; not even special adornment of jewels for the God. But it is done in a manner it gets the attention of the limited spectators gathered inside the mantap (hall) who are mesmerized by this unusual ritual. The processional deity (Utchavar) in the sanctum is taken in a fairly decorated Palanquin that sways gently by the bearers. Here, swaying is deliberate as this temple is famous for the ajapa thanam (dance without chanting) style of dance. When the deity is taken in a procession the bearers do the dancing which comes in 7 different styles, each depicting a particular movement. This dance is unique to this temple. The destination of the procession is Palli Aarai (God's bed room) and the god is carried reverentially. At most temples in particular, Vaishnavite temples the palli Aarai is normally well decorated and embellished with mirrors ,etc on all sides and it is located in the mantap (hall) away from the sanctum. The Shiva temples do have decorated bed chamber. for the deities to rest.
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| Yoga Kamalambal, Thygaraja temple, Thiruvarur.pixels.com/ |
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| Thiruvarur Thyagaraja Swamy. pinrest.com |
In the Palli Aarai God's consort will be anxiously waiting for the arrival of God Tyagesa. Once he enters the bed chamber, the doors will be shut gently.. The belief is both the god and the goddess are retired to take complete rest as they had spent a fatigued day accepting prayers from the devotees and blessing them all day. When the god is being taken to the bed chamber the ''Ooduvars' 'people trained in old Tamil devotional hymns will be singing the glory of the main deity and his consort.
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| Location map. Thiruvarur .genesistoursandfacility.com |
Maharajah Shahuji (1684- 1712) - son of Venkoji of the Thanjavur dynasty (Shivaji Maharaj's half brother) was an ardent devotee of Thygaraja, composed an Opera in Telugu language called'' Pallaki Seva Prabhandam.'' Scholars are working hard to revive the Opera written in chaste Telugu. The story line is a simple one: The Opera highlights the pain and pangs of separation from the god experienced by the goddess and her uncontrollable longing for his arrival. The God, on receiving the message from her associates Akhis, arrives at the bed chamber in a well decorated palanquin with his retinue. It is a sort of Lullaby sung by a poet in Madymavati instead of more relaxing Nilambari to make the divine couple meet in a relaxing and soothing mood. The poet appeals to deities - Shiva-Sakthi (Thyagesa and Kamalambal) - 'you take care of king Shahuji.
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| /Tygaraja temple, Thiruvarur.tamilnadu-favtourism.blogspot.com |
When the final Raa-Kaala puja is over with the closure of the Palli Aarai leaving the main deity there the temple will be closed after a final Aarti. As for the celestial deities, it is time for them to relax in a quiet ambiance and be free from the sea of people who come up with all kinds of demands, wishes, etc. Following morning the deities have to get ready to resume their duties to listen to the people and bless them with prosperity and good health. Devotees throng the temple as they repose trust in the almighty to get rid of their worries and fears of survival in this competitive world. They rejuvenate their mind and body seeking the help of the divine powers. Trust is the magic word in meditation and prayer.
Ref: 'Mesmerized by Thyagesa' by Lalitha Sridhar--The Hindu dated 28 Jyly 2017.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thyagaraja_Temple,_Tiruvarur
