This is everybody's fest; Mylapore will hold that up

Prodoshams are always big events at Sri Kapali Temple. The entire temple campus and the space outside is packed to the sides and so it was this Saturday evening.

But today also had a special little event – the formal release of the invitation to the temple’s annual Panguni festival, starting April 1.

Copies of the mass-printed schedule were distributed to all the people who attended the prodosham ceremony this evening.

By this time, popular stores were also sharing the Panguni time table; the popular Mami’s Mess which was also packed to the walls as the devotees packed in here to tuck into hot dosas or steaming idlis, gave out color sheets of the Panguni schedule.

In many ways this fest is everybody's; you walk around Mylapore now and you will find many stores and eat outs offering the Panguni time-table.

Repainting Images; hopefully the right manner

A group of artisans are busy working at the temple campus now. They have to dust, restore and paint the dozens of vahanams for the festival.

We are told that these are traditional artisans.

But Bhaskar Krish, in a comment posted on the Mylapore Times FB page says the artisans must keep in mind that restoration of the vanhams must not affect the originality of these religious images. "Nowadays they paint with multiple colors and the heritage look is lost…', he adds.

What is your opinion on restoration at temples?

The Lagna Patrika ceremony

Traditions run deep at temple festivals. And they are human, natural too.

They are practices that we all follow in our ways, our lives.

And so on March 7, the public declaration of a symbolic wedding of the Kapali and Karpagambal of Mylapore was made. The lagna patrika ceremony.

Hundreds of devotees, mostly women attended this evening ceremony.

These two photos capture the mood of that evening.

Here is the schedule for 2017

We seek the official schedule of the festival from the temple when March dawns.

It takes time to get our hands on it.

We believe that information posted early serves people who plan to attend the festival.

But the temple managers have their ways on such matters.

This year, the fest is from April 1 and ends formally on April 12.

Thereafter, a series of music concerts begin. A time for the gods to unwind and music to swirl around.

Here is the Panguni schedule -

http://www.mylaporetimes.com/2017/03/panguni-festival-at-sri-kapali-temple-the-schedule/

We will post the concerts timetable shortly!

Welcome to Panguni Fest 2017. Our coverage has begun.

Mylapore Times, the free, English neighbourhood newspaper of 23 years welcomes you to our coverage of yet another Panguni Festival 2017. The festival that makes Mylapore grand, colorful, religious and traditional. In many different ways.

The festival of Sri Kapali Temple, Mylapore.

Through the next 20 days, we at MYLAPORE TIMES ( www.mylaporetimes.com)  will bring you crisp stories of events in the temple and around it and lots of photos and videos of the daily events of Panguni.

Be with us through this coverage. We promise a ringside view of the fest. Share this web link with friends and relatives across the world.
And mail us; when you want us to specially cover something that gets ignored! Or you have a warm word for our work!

Welcome!

Time for music as agni nakshatram dawns

And now, it is time for music and dance at the Navaratri Mantapam at the temple. Post-panguni religious celebrations that take their toll on man and god, and as agni nakshatram breaks out in the city and peaks at summer time, music helps to unwind.

The concerts, by top ranking artistes are drawing large crowds. The top photo was taken at Sanjay Subramanyam's concert and the second one shows Vijay Siva in concert.

The concerts are on till April 17, every evening.

The Panguni tradition that Mylaporeans keep

Dozens of Mylaporeans keep a Panguni festival tradition to this day.

Providing food to guests and people who head to Sri Kapali temple in Mylapore.

At Balasubramaniam's residence, this year marked the 101st year of this Panguni tradition. This Mylaporean is 92 years old and his daughter Revathi made arrangements to feed 750 people on Arabathumoovar day. 

Helping them is caterer N. S. Anandan who lives down the road.

The elai sapad menu included badhusha, medhu pakoda and jav-arisi payasam. Also on each banana leaf was a two-rupee coin.

"In the old days we used to feed over one thousand people and left a one-rupee coin for our guests," said Revathi, resident of Chitrakulam North Street.

S. Jamuna's family also keep this tradition at festival time. This East Mada Street resident, now 65 invited about 80 youths who carry the vahanams from the temple around the mada streets to a  special lunch at her residence.

Joining her were sisters Indira and Padma and sister-in-law Kalpana and others - to make and distribute 11 kilos of kesari  and 60 litres of buttermilk on Arabathumovar day.

"This is a tradition we love to carry on," says Jamuna.

Down the same street are this trio - Gomathi Mangalam, Jaya Gomathinayagam and Rajendran - want to expand their 15-year-old tradition.

One afternoon is reserved for Sri Kapali Temple priests - a puja and elai sapad during penguin fest. 

For arbathumoovar day, the trio arrange to cook puliogare and sweet and ven-pongal which is served to devotees from 8 am to 8 pm.

The biggest service is provided by late flutist Narayana Iyer's family of Mathala Narayana Street, off the Mangolai junction.

The menu list is much like the one you would want at a big, fat wedding - sweet and ven-pongal, brinji, sambhar and tomato rice, vegetable biryani, idli and sambhar, mixture and sweets and bread -channa. Cooked in parts over the whole day, spaces on the street are used for storing, slicing and cooking.

'This is a 110-year old tradition that Narayana Iyer's wife began in a small way, " said one family member. "Funds keep flowing from February onwards."

Their estimate is that 25,000 people line up at their food window on this small street on Arbathumoovar day.

The food is great and available in plenty. People need to avoid waste and dispose the leftovers and plates properly. This would make the celebration wow.

- Info inputs by R. Saravanan.

Snapshots of the 'ther' event

Photos by Madhan, Saravanan, Vincent D' Souza.

< You too can share your photos - unique shots - at - mytimesedit@gmail.com

Day of the chariot; seen, heard and seen again

The sun was up, there was stillness in the air and sweat began to trickle down many foreheads of men and women, some 3000 of them who had gathered on East Mada Street to witness the roll of the ther on April 1 morning as part of the Panguni Fest of Sri Kapali Temple.

It took three big efforts to get the iron wheels of the chariot, heavily decorated and carrying the Lord of Mylapore moving. The crowd cheered, gasped, kept silent and then 'Kapali Kapali' rent the air - the chariot had moved out of the shed and in 5minutes rolled in front of the gate of BVB.

Many people quickly dispersed - this is a working day for many, As they scurried they bowed before the chariots of the Ambal, Singaravelar and Chandikeswar.

As sweaty bodies and khaki clad police found refuge or got into Karpagambal Mess for breakfast ( bill for two Rs.180 plus), Narikuravas and nomadic hawkers spread their wares - light pink lotuses fresh from suburban ponds, plastic mallipoo, Bombay bags and the staple beaded-chains.

East Mada Street fell quiet and the excitement grew on South Mada Street. Pandals opened and the first one began to serve sambhar and curd rice; hawkers were assured of food now. Elsewhere, volunteers offered thick buttermilk but people who gulped it dumped the plastic on the street leaving civic workers rot bend twice to clear the waste.

"Tell them to regulate the food dhanam, people waste food and dump it on the street, " said Lakshman Kumar and Suganthi who settled here after a Mumbai stay. They reside at Mundagakanni Amman Koil Street.

As the sun beat mercilessly and the sea breeze remained feeble, the chariot rolled past Sangeetha on South Mada Street and into R K Mutt Road.

It is expected to return to its space in Sannidhi Street by noon, even earlier since the crowds are thin. More people are expected to head to the temple zone after 4 p.m.

Mylapore's mada streets looked a bit like a village in celebration.

Elsewhere, the pandals for water, buttermilk and rice got going. On C V Raman Road, senior citizen 'Maiji' stepped out to launch the panda's service outside the residence of the Muthukrishnans.

Beyond Mylapore, there is as much celebration as there is around the temple zone.

Ther; set for the procession