Home

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Preview: Procession of the great Ther

April 3, 7 am.
The mada veedhis are dirty, full of waste, paper and leftover food.
Private civic workers get to work in fits and starts to prepare the way for the procession of the ther.
How one wished there was far greater cleanliness here.

The sun is up and the chant of the odhuvar floats in the air that is still this morning.

Earlier this morning, at about 5.30 am the image of the Lord was taken up the stairs and to a mantap beside the tall ther tower. After a few rituals, the image was placed in the chariot.

Behind the ther, are a carriage of wooden blocks which will be used to slow and stop the rolling wheels of the ther. A army of volunteers in bright Tees are at the ready for the job.

Further behind are the chariots of Lord Murugan and of Chandikeswarar.

People file in to take position in front of the ther.

The quiet is broken by announcements over the public address system by volunteers of the Mylai Thamizh Sangam.

And then the singing of odhuvar Sargunanathar . . .

They are all waiting for the state minister to inaugurate the procession. . 

No comments:

Post a Comment