It is Chittirai month again! That time of the year when notwithstanding the heat, thousands flock to Madurai to witness the wedding of Meenakshi and Sundareswara and also the twin event of Azhagar from Azhagarkoil/Tirumalirumsolai arriving in procession at the Vaigai River.
Remembering Senkamalavalli’s 1932 Work
It was last year that in this column we looked at a book published in 1932 containing the compositions of Senkamalavalli, wife of AK Srinivasa Iyengar, Tamil professor at the Findlay College, Mannargudi. In 54 songs, she had covered almost every detail of the nine-day outing that Azhagar has, to the Vaigai and back. This year, let us look at other compositions that celebrate the same event.
Early Literary References to Azhagar
As many as five of the 12 Azhwars have composed pasuram-s on the temple, and the location as a holy spot finds mention in the Silappathikaram. It has a verse in Vedanta Desika’s 13th century Hamsa Sandesam. The 15th century Tiruppugazh of Arunagiri, in praise of Pazhamuthirsolai which is higher up on the same range of hills, follows the earlier works in descriptions of the natural beauty of the place and the presence of the Nupura Ganga/Silambaru. Even the 17th century composition of Raja Shahaji, Chalu Chalu (Kanada/Ata), does not go beyond praising the deity.
Formal descriptions of the procession find mention only from the 17th century onwards. This is not to say that the event itself dates from then, for it is clearly of far greater antiquity, incorporating within itself several local traditions.
Dikshitar’s Brief Mention and the Legend of Manduka
Muthuswami Dikshitar makes passing mention of the festival in his Sri Sundararajam (Kasiramakriya/Adi). The song states the festival is associated with the arrival of Manduka. Even today, one of the highlights of the procession is the seventh day, when Azhagar, on his way back, stops at Thenoor to given salvation to Rishi Sutapas who owing to a curse, has transformed into a frog (Manduka). That night, at the Rishi’s request, Azhagar displays all ten incarnations at the Ramarayar Mandapam. Technically, only seven are shown – Varaha and Narasimha being omitted as that would require the face of Azhagar to be replaced. The tenth avatara is not of Kalki but Mohini.
Kavi Kunjara Bharati’s Kuravanji Version
The 19th century Azhagar Kuravanji by Kavi Kunjara Bharati though set in Sivaganga, imagines that the town is part of the procession and has songs describing it. One of them depicts the first eight avatara-s and the subsequent song is dedicated to Azhagar as Krishna. The next song is structured as a conversation between women mesmerised by the beauty of Azhagar. The story itself is that of a princess being smitten by the beauty of Azhagar as seen in the procession and a fortune-teller (Kurathi) assuring her of union with the Lord.
Ambujam Krishna’s Evocative Composition
In the 1950s, Ambujam Krishna began composing. To her Azhagarkoil was a favoured shrine and she dedicated several songs to the Lord here. One among these, Azhagan Bavani (set in Kamboji/Rupakam by KR Kedaranathan) has four charanam-s, each describing important events in the procession. As a word picture of the journey it is beautiful. It begins with the composer inviting the devout to come and pay their respects to Azhagar even as He sets out in a palanquin from His temple, with His hair tied in a knot, His hand wielding a shepherd’s crook, His face sporting a smile and His body bedecked in sparkling gems. The next stanza describes Azhagar in a golden chariot, which as the lines indicate, moves in a slow, swaggering gait.
On reaching Madurai, by when it is a full moon night, Azhagar gets onto a horse and prepares to cross the Vaigai, this being the highpoint of the festival. The third stanza describes the first part of the return, when the Lord is seated on Adi Sesha and then Garuda, and grants salvation to sage Manduka en-route. The transformation into the ten avatara-s is described next. The final stanza depicts Azhagar in a floral palanquin, surrounded by His devotees, reaching His abode in the hills.
Folk Traditions and the Varnippu Genre
This is a festival of the people and the folk songs are no less interesting. In his thesis on the temple and titled Azhagar Koil (Madurai Kamaraj University, 1989), Tho Paramasivan includes a few. Sections of an Azhagar Vannam are published. The most absorbing section comprises songs belonging to the ‘varnippu’ genre in that they describe an event, in this case the entire procession, and episodes from it. The author lists eleven pieces, of which five were not in print but prevalent in oral tradition. He notes that this temple had an association known as the Bhaktar Varnippalar Mahasabai which comprised these songsters.
Founded in 1966, it aimed to conserve and propagate the varnippu-s that were fast vanishing. The tradition, as established from interviews by him have it that varnippu-s follow the ammanai format and trace their origins to the Mahabharata Ammanai sung by Sankaramoorti Konar in 1817. Konar too composed varnippu-s.
Varnippu Performances and Oral Heritage
The varnippu-s, essentially long-format, multi-line pieces devoid of cadences, were sung at the Ramarayar Mandapam during the entire night when Azhagar changed his garb nine times. They played an important role in keeping audiences enthused and awake. The Mahasabai crowdfunded these performances. Paramasivan has published one varnippu which had existed till then only in oral tradition. Comprising 189 lines, it describes Azhagar’s journey from the temple to Madurai. The lyrics make for very interesting reading as they are sprinkled with Telugu, English and a couple of Urdu words as well.
This article appeared in The Hindu https://www.thehindu.com/society/history-and-culture/unearthing-lyrical-gems-that-describe-azhagars-procession-to-vaigai-and-back/article69544212.ece