Kumbhaabhishekam 2013 @ Tirunelveli

This is the place where the family deity has stood for hundreds of years, if not thousands of years. This is the place where my ancestors prayed. This is the place where my children and grandchildren shall pray. Naysayers may have their views, but I choose to believe.

The Madhyaaranayeswara Saastha temple or the Nadukkavudaiyaar Saastha Kovil has been the guardian deity of my family for generations. Amongst the many photos of Gods and Goddesses that adorn our Pooja room at home, I have been familiar with the painting of Dharmasaastha at home, flanked by Poornaambal and Pushkalaambal on either side. As I grew up I realized that this painting and the temple were special- almost like the poster of that one hero who is more special than the rest.

I recall distinctly that it was only post my teens that I first realized my “connect” with the place. Whenever I visit the place, I am filled with some positive energy which I cannot quite describe. It was here in this temple that we celebrated my Grandfather’s 80^th birthday and Dad’s 60^th birthday. It was here that I was administered the Moola Mantra of the deity- an initiation that was special, for I was initiated by my Periappa (Dad’s elder brother). Every special occasion in our lives has been followed by a visit to this temple- the day of my Upanayanam (sacred thread initiation ceremony)... the first visit after marriage…

My first memory of this temple dates back to the late 80’s. I was there for a Kumbhaabhishekam- a temple festival that happens typically once every 12 years. In the words of an erudite uncle of mine, it is a method in which the temple gets recharged, just as a battery is recharged.

I belong to a sect that believes in a formless God and one may smile at the thought that even we believe in having to “recharge a temple”.

Well, that debate is for a separate day. Perhaps, I am not the one best equipped to dialogue on this issue.

So yes, I go back to the first memory. I recollect seeing those eagles that arrive during the actual moment of the Abhishekam. I recollect the joy in people’s faces when they saw this sight. For the believers, the sight of the eagles at the end of the Kumbhaabhishekam is an auspicious sign.

For the rationalists, you may be surprised at this that in a place that sees no eagles, almost without fail, at the end of each Kumbhaabhishekam, these eagles fly over the Gopuram of the temple.

It was Déjà vu’ for me this Friday when I saw those eagles again- three of them.

Spiritual connect aside, this day was also a chance to reconnect with relatives, meeting new relatives and new friends.

A day very well spent…