KANCHEEPURAM: For the first time in the history of the famed Varadaraja Perumal temple here, the Urchavar’s spectacular procession on the Aathisesha Vaganam (Lord Perumal on the coiled snake) on Friday had to be abandoned midway without completing its full course of the four Raja Streets, thanks to man-made ego that came in the way of Kodiakkars (the disciples who carry the Vaganam on their shoulders traditionally) and the temple priests who are themselves divided into two groups on ceremonial lines.
The 10-day annual Pramothshavam commenced on May 25 with a customary flag-hoisting ceremony. One of the ceremony of “Garudasevai Urchavam” (the procession of Lord Perumal on the Garuda) was celebrated on Thursday when one of the two 40-foot-long Warai (logs) on
which Perumal was carried on the shoulders of the contractual “kodiakkars” caved in. Then it was taken to the nearby Kangaikondan
Mandapam for clamping it with circular iron plate support, and the Urchavam reached the temple at 1.30 pm, a few hours behind the scheduled arrival.
However, it had completed its full course of four Raja Streets. Meanwhile, the Thursday’s delay upset the applecart of the festival proceedings on Friday. The “most cumbersome” Aathisesha Vaganam should have started at 5 am, but it was delayed by more than three
hours. While the priests attributed the delay to the late decoration of the Urchavar, the Kodiakkars fumed that the delay would torch their foot under the scorching sun.
A special branch inspector told `Express’ that the police left the matter to the priests themselves to be solved in a manner they felt right, but unfortunately tension ran high between the palanquin bearers and priests with accusations and counter accusations flying hither thither
on caste lines and the procession came to a halt at Moongil Mandapam at 9 am, just a mile from the Varadaraja Perumal Temple in Chinna Kancheepuram.
The police opined that it would have led to a serious socio-religious problem, had the Urchavar been left high and dry without anyone caring to complete the procession.
T A Kannan, municipal councillor from 45th Ward, felt that the Kodiakkars should have been treated with respect. There are eight “Mestri” families in Kancheepuram. One of them S Manavalan, a fourth generation descendent of Kodiakkars, told `Express’ that “let them give us
a brand new Warai, and the entire problem would be solved.” The officiating Executive Officer of the temple, Thiagarajan, who took over only last month, said the present Warai used by this temple originally belonged to Kamatchi Amman Temple.
