|
 Old
town at Mylapore is the soul of Madras City and the very heart of
Tamil Nadu. Mylapore has existed for thousands of years long before
Madras came into being. The ancient Sanskrit name of the town was 'Mayur
Puri' which got aptly modified to 'Mylapur' in Tamil. It is said
that Goddess Parvati took the form of 'Mayuram' or 'Mayil' and
worshipped Shiva at this sacred place. The praise of the Lord of
Kapaleeshwar temple has been sung by all the sixty three Shivite
Saints of Tamil Nadu. These saints were known as Nayanmars or 'Nyanis'
(all knowing in Sanskrit). The divine poems written by them are
called 'Thevaram' and were known originally in Sanskrit as 'Dev-Aradhanam';
'The devotional prayers to Lord'.
Thevarams are sung every morning and every evening
in all the Shivite temples. They have got their unique place in
temple rites and rituals and are to be sung soon after the chanting
of Mantras is over. Recently, after many years of controversy,
Sangeet Nataka Academy has accepted 'Thevaram' as an art form and
the first Sangeet Nataka Academy award for 'Thevaram' singing has
been conferred on Thiru Lalgudi Swaminathan, the Thevaram singer of
'Sri Kapaleeshwar Temple'.
These Saints of Tamil Nadu have made unique contributions: (a) to
Tamil - Literature by enriching it; and (b) to the Bakti Cult by
invoking perpetually, in the minds and hearts of devotees, the
remembrance of the 'Supreme Lord'. Due to this, the festival of 63
saints is the most important festival of the Kapali temple. It falls
on the eighth day of Phalguni month. Highlights of the festival is a
long procession, headed by the Lord himself adorned with a 'spear'.
On his right is his consort 'Ambal' (Mother Goddess) and on his left
his son Karthikeya (Kumaran) with Valli and Deivayanai. The Lord is
followed by other deities like Vinayak and Chandikesh. Then come the
63 saints in different Palanquins, four in each, following their
Lord in all devotion. The procession begins around 3 p.m. on the
eighth day of Palguni festival and goes around the streets of
Mylapore.
This is a unique way of paying tribute to the 'Immortalised
Saints' by the devotees. With the help of their poetry devotees
could come closer to the Lord, and hence they express their
gratitude through this festival. In Advaita there need be no
difference between 'Shiva' the Lord, the Saints and the 'devotees'.
Hence the Nayanmars can also be taken as the many manifestations of
Shiva and reverence shown to them.
The Temple Chariot Festival
The chariot festival of the temple falls one day before the
festival of sixty-three saints on the seventh day of Phalguni
festival. The chariot festival in itself is a unique event. The Lord
in the form of an 'Archer' holding a Golden bow and gem studded
arrow, riding on the large and ornate temple car, comes out to
destroy the evil. The Chariot symbolises the journey of life. The
mother-earth (Bhoomi Devi) is same as the mother-earth on which life
moves. The salt which is thrown before the wheels of the Chariot is
the 'Salt of Life'. Lakhs of people throng to all the four 'Matha'
streets to pull the temple chariot and have the darshan of 'divine
archer'.
Pulling of the temple car in itself is a great Socio-spiritual
experience. It has a great equalising effect. It also symbolises
that while pulling the Car, rich and poor, high and low and mighty
and weak, all are equal before the Lord. The life on this earth goes
on, only with their combined efforts. With the tug at ropes, one can
hear a thousand calling 'Kapali', 'Kapali'. Once in a while the Lord
turns mischievous. The Chariot suddenly stops, and does not move.
The Lord tests its devotees by creating unforeseen obstructions in
the path of the Chariot. Suddenly, stones and pot-holes appear. The
rope gives way, the wheels become loose, or a part of the Chariot
decoration hangs loose precariously. The Lord manifests itself in so
many ways. The challenge lies in completing the journey and bringing
the Chariot back to the temple within the stipulated time. This is
accomplished only with the help of divine mother 'Ambal' who keeps
praying till the return of Lord to his abode and the Chariot
festival is concluded flawlessly with the blessings of 'Ambal'.
The Divine Marriage of Lord Kapaleeshwara
The day after the festival of sixty three saints falls the day of
'divine marriage' between Lord Shiva and Parvathi in the late
evening hours. The marriage is performed with all the rites,
including ceremonial tying of 'Thali' or 'Mangal Sutra'.
Marriage in Hindu Tradition
Hindu mythology and tradition places a great emphasis on
marriage. Only marriage makes a 'human being' or for that matter a
'God' complete. No perfection and enlightenment can be obtained
without experiencing the institution of marriage. This is to
indicate that nothing can be achieved without a woman being an equal
partner in a venture. Lord Shiva manifests himself as 'Ardhnareeshwar'
to depict that the Lord is none other than the combination of male
and female elements, energies and forces.
Every deity must have a consort. If there is a shrine to Shiva,
there should be a shrine to Ambal (Parvati) also. Hindu rites cannot
be performed by a bachelor or a widower, but only a married man in
the company of his wife. No Homam (Havan) can be conducted without
the lady of the house. Any Charity or 'Dhan' including 'Kanya Dhan'
(giving a daughter in marriage) can be performed only by a couple
and not by a widower. A man is qualified to become a priest only
after he is married.
In the light of the above observations, the 'divine' marriage at
Mylapore happens to be a very significant occurrence and is watched
by thousands of people. To them 'marital bliss' of their Lord and
his Consort is a reality to be cherished and invoked.
Many Forms of the Lord
To the residents of Mylapore, the Lord is their own and takes
many forms as their mentor, guide, protector, teacher, friend and
even as a 'child'. An eighty year old woman, who lives alone in
Mylapore and refuses to join her well placed family in Delhi,
argues: "If I leave this place, Kapaleeshwar and Karpaghambal would
become orphans." For her Lord is a little child, who needs her love
and care, and daily visits. It is to be remembered that, in Mylapore,
at the doorsteps of the Kapali temple, St.Thomas one of the apostle
of Christ, preached the message of Christ in the 1st century A.D.
For a long time, the Chief of the Catholic Church in Tamil Nadu was
called 'Arch Bishop of Mylapore' and even today he is called
'Arch-Bishop of Mylapore and Madras'.
Mylapore is also the native place of 'Thiruvalluvar' the 'patron
sage' of Tamil Nadu. He is the author of 'Thirukural' the 'divine
couplets'. The couplets are no doubt secular in nature, but who can
say if it was not the Lord himself who created the inspiration.
Temple-Tank
There is an interesting legend about the temple tank. The temple
did not have a tank and the present tank at the temple belonged to
Nawab Mohammed Ali, the Nawab of Arcot. It is said that a delegation
of priests and devotees met the Nawab and impressed upon him, that
it was an absolute necessity for a temple to have a tank. The
benevolent Nawab gifted the tank to the temple. However, at that
time Shia Muslim brethrens were already using this tank for
immersion of Panjas (Tajias) on the day of Moharram. The tank was
gifted to the temple on the condition that Shia brethren would
continue to use it for Moharrum. This practice continues till date.
The descendants of the Nawab of Arcot have shown goodwill towards
the temple from time to time. The present Prince of Arcot, Janab
Mohammed Abdul Ali visited the temple and tank on the eve of 'Teppam
Festival' and had darshan of the Lord in the Teppam. He was bestowed
with temple honours. The Lord at Mylapore is all pervasive, all
embracive. He truly belongs to all.
|
