TIRUCHY: The legacy of Chola-era emperors Ponnar and Shankar was revisited in Manapparai during the annual Masiperunthiruvizha. Spanning 10 days, the festival, which came to a close on March 1, drew close to 5 lakh devotees from across the state.
The concluding day of Masiperunthiruvizha on Wednesday proved to be a moment of pride as residents recalled ‘Ponnar-Shankar’, a novel penned down by former chief minister M Karunanidhi. The villagers ginger up the celebrations by reenacting instances from the lives of the two emperors, which includes two selected villagers donning royal clothes near Valanadu, Manapparai, and going in search of a parrot in the woods to console their younger sister Nallathangal grieved by their parents’ demise.
Another custom has around hundred villagers gathering around the place of death of one of the kings and lying unconscious through the night. In the morning, a 12-year-old girl comes with a sacred water to revive the ‘unconscious’. This is observed as a reenactment of Nallathangal disturbing goddess ‘Periyakandiyamman’ after the former, witnessing the death of her brothers on the battlefield, gives out a cry. Legend has it that the deity gifted holy water to Nallathangal to bring the dead back to life. R Soundarapandian, one of the festival organisers, said,
“The stories passed down through generations in the form of songs, written texts and inscriptions.” S Bhaskaran, another resident, said, "The night in which the villagers act as if they are unconscious reserves a special place in our hearts since it is a testimony of our respect to the kings. Since the lineage of the kings is traced to the western part of the state (Kongu region), lakhs from that region flock Manapparai."