All set for Navarathri festivities
As the nation is on the cusp of the Navarathri festivities, Chennai’s temples and cultural organisations are all set for the nine-day festival which begins on Tuesday.
Prominent temple in the city, including the Thiruverkadu Karumariamman, Mayilai Mundakanni Amman and the Kapaleeshwarar temples, have organised a host of functions ranging from poojas to bhajans, musical concerts and cultural programmes for Navarathri.
Arrangements for the festival and pujas begin today on Ammavasai, which is considered to be auspicious.
The functions organised by the Thiruverkadu Karumariamman Temple include Poochoriyal, (complete with flower archanai worship) with 27 bright, different flowers. Temple chief priest Rajappa Gurukkal said that the main deity at the temple will be decorated with the Annapoorni, Gayathri and Maha Kaali alankarams (decorations) on the first three days; Yogeshwari, Eshwari and Dhanalakshmi alankarams the next three days, and Valli, Raja Rajeshwari and Saraswathi alnakarams on the last three days.
“In addition to this, poojas will be performed to 11 Kannigas (unmarried girls), 11 Vazhus (bachelors) and 11 Suvasinis (married women), and an elderly couple on Vijayadasami, the concluding day of the Navarathri festivities,” he added.
The Gurukkal added that as part of the ritual, unmarried men and women will be given new clothes.
The Navarathri festivities at Arulmigu Mahalakshmi Thirukkovil in Besant Nagar will begin on October 15 and continue till October 24.
The presiding deity, Lord Vishnu, will be decorated in various forms on different days during the event. On October 24, the deity will be taken out in a grand procession to the nearby beach.
The Kapaleeshwarar Temple in Mylapore will display Kolu dolls on the occasion, near the Karpagambal sannidhi. Balaji Gurukkal, chief priest of the temple said, “We keep the odd-numbered Kolu steps in a slanting manner before the dolls are arranged on them. Incidents from the Periya Puranam will be depicted with the Navadhanyas in front of the Nandi idol.”
Beginning October 15, the Sringeri Jagadguru Sankara Math in West Mambalam will be conducting homas including Chandi and Veda Parayanams, Suvasini and Kanniga Poojas. It has also organised alanakarams in various vahanas and musical concerts in the evenings. Renowned artistes such as Udayalur Kalyanaraman, Madurai, T N Seshagopalan, Sikkil Gurucharan and N Ramani will be performing in the concerts.
Similarly, the Ramakrishna Mission Students’ Home will be conducting music programmes in the evenings for four days between October 16 and 24. Noted Carnatic vocalists Sanjay Subramaniam and Sudha Raghunathan are among those slated to perform.
The Bihar Association in Gopalapuram will be conducting Durga Puja celebrations between October 16 and 24, which will be inaugurated by TNPSC Chairman R Natraj. “The festival symbolises the three shaktis, namely iccha (desire), kriya (work) and gnana (wisdom). Hence, the first three days are dedicated to goddess Durga, the next three to goddess Lakshmi and the last three to goddess Saraswathi,” says Swaminathan, a temple priest.