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Monthiyan Festival
This festival is held in the month of Adi at
Thiruvalavayannallur near Madurai.
The
festival commences only if the deity gives permission
by the chirping of a lizard in particular direction or at a particular spot,
viz.
in a mango or a coconut tree. Prayer continues till the lizard
chirps. At the chirping, a devotee get possessed and inspired and
dictates the mode of celebration. The streets are then decorated with Margosa
leaves, tied on straw ropes. On that day the priest of the Ayyanar temple takes a
token sod of earth from the temple tank for making models of horses to be
offered to the deity. He is paid a nominal fee for preparing the earthen
horses.
The horse models are taken to the Ayyanar temple in a
ceremonial procession with prescribed services to the village
deity Monthiyan, where the horse-models are mounted on a cart. A party of
Chakkiliayans,
dressed in colourful costumes, come in procession
from the temple of Sonachami to the Monthiyan temple.
Carrying a palm-leaf basket containing unhusked paddy, a small knife and a
small pole. At the Monthiyan temple, the Chakkiliyan pujari places
the paddy at the feet of the horse-model, sacrifices a cock and
smears its blood on the eyes of the horse-model .While doing so, the pujari has
his eyes tied with a piece of white cloth. Then the horse model are taken
in procession to the Ayyanar temple headed by the woman
of the Kanakkan's family, who carry new earthen pots. At the Ayyanar temple, the
deity Ayyanar is worshipped and cooked food and a bloody sacrifice
are offered to the Ayyanar. On the fourth and final day, the villagers
celebrate 'bull-chasing'. The rope to tie the bulls is prepared by the pallans
out of straw and coir. When the rope has been woven it is placed
before the Kaniyalan, the clan deity of the Pallans. The Pallan pujari,
after some religious oblations gets possessed and hands
over the rope to the pallans, which is then taken in procession to
the Monthiyan temple, where God's blessings are invoked to
the coir. One end of the coir is fastened to a pole firmly run in to the
ground. Four persons keep the rope intact at this end. The other end of
the rope is tied round the neck of a bull. The bull is decorated with
garlands and a token coin and eatables are tied to its neck. The crowd
scares the bull which runs amuck around the pole carrying the long
heavy rope and gets tired. Of such bulls brought to participate in
the chase, the first bull will always be that of a Muslim. After this to the
village deity and the festival is happily concluded.
Nadapavai Festival
Nadavavi festival is a corruption of
Nadapavai,
vavi means a well.
Businessmen from the city of Madras attend this
festival in Kancheepuram to discharge their vows and provide
food and drink to the poor throughout the duration.
This is a local festival of great importance
held on the full-moon day in April-May, owing its origin to
one Kodi Kannikadanam Thatchachariar and to the money he collected
for Varadharaja Perumal temple. He excavated a tank and built a
temple in honour of lord Anjaneya (Hanuman) who saved him from
dacoits. Alive to the fact that the money was originally collected
on behalf of Lord Varadharaja Perumal. It was agreed up
on by the devotees of the Lord that he should be taken on his
'birthday' to Ayyangarkulam. Lord Varadharaja is supposed
to have emerged from the sacrificial fire on a Hastam. His image
is taken to the Mandapam inside the Nadapavai well
during the festival. It is a well of architectural splendour, containing
beautiful carvings on the pillars and sides. This well is situated
very near the Sanjeevarayar temple and can be reached by a graveled
path way leading from the temple entrance. The main pillared
door way is a deep hollow with a number of steps leading to the well. At
the time of festival the well is full and the water overflows and
laps the last step. The image of the Lord is brought through the doorway
to the steps, immersed in the well and then
taken out.
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