all the devotees Tirumangai alwar must have fed by diverting the money from building the ship for the king are now hell beat on creating this marvel .With . gold, constructing, about 13 feet high boat shaped temple, in which, *JAGAJANANI- KAALI MAA* is kept today, on *GHATASTAPANA DAY*.
Two eyes are not enough to see, her riding boat ride.
Since we can't physically visit the place in Calcutta, let us see her in this Video, during *NAVARATRI
Thirumangai Azhwar another name
was Kaliyan who was the valiant army chief of the then Chola King .
The king gifted him with a small territory to rule over. Hence, he was known as
Thirumangai Mannan . He was attracted to an apsara Kumudavalli , daughter of a
physician and expressed his desire to marry her. Kumudavalli who appeared on
this earth to transform thi s valiant king to a bhakta, laid the condition that he should feed
1000 Srivaishnavas every day for one year . Thirumangai Mannan fulfilled her
condition and continued to do so even after his marriage as he got
habituated in this wonderful kainkaryam of feeding Srivaishnavas. In due
course, his wealth diminished and as Lord Krishna says in Bhagavad Gita, when
HE decides to bless HIS devotee, HE takes away wealth and enacted a divya
leela. Due to his love for vaishnavas , our Azhwar resorted to stealing and plundering
wealth from the rich and the egoistic and used the wealth for feeding
Vaishnavas and renovating temples. Tirumangai Mannan comes to know through his
friends that a newly wedded couple bedecked with costly jewellery are passing
through a forest in a palanquin and if they could plunder their
wealth,
they could continue with their cause of serving Srivaishnavas forever. So,
Thirumangai Mannan along with his four friends leaves his place in the midnight
, rides fast on his horse,who he calls as Aadalmaa, waylays the divine couple
who are resting in a mandapam at “Thirumanankollai” and plunders their wealth
and ties them in a cloth. Not being satisfied with the loot, he tries to remove
the Thirumetti of Thayar with all his might and is unsuccessful. By coming in
contact with Thayar’s thiruvadi, realisation dawns on him. When he tries to
lift the loot, he is unable to do so and suspecting the bridegroom for having
put some charm , he threatens Perumal who is disguised as the bridegroom with a
sword to disclose the secret.that does not allow him to carry the loot Perumal
advises him to purify himself and return so that he can impart the secret to
him. Thirumangai mannan returns and Perumal gives him the most sacred
mantram,Thirumantram . The moment Perumal whispers the sacred Ashtakshari
Thirumantram , wisdom dawns on Kaliyan and he surrenders at the Lotus feet of
the Divya Dampadhigal. He repents for all his earlier deeds and outbursts his
pourings starting with “Vaadinene Vaadi….” and decides to glorify Perumal by
visiting holy places in India.. He is transformed as Thirumangai Azhwar and
riding on his Aadalma horse glorified Perumal in about 86 divya desams. Every
year, this incident in recollected on Panguni-Makham (Mar-april) at
thirunangoor as Thiruvedupari utsavam and this year the incident is enacted on
2nd midnight April 2015 . The pics were taken during our last visit
. We participated in the Thirukalyanam of Perumal with Nachiyar the previous
afternoon . Later , in the night after saatrumarai, the newly wed Perumal and
Thayar bedecked fully with jewellery set out on a decorated palanquin. WE were
told that they would halt in a mandapam at Thirumanankollai. We drove to
Thiruvali-Thirunagari temple to have darsanam of Thirumangai Azhwar also known
as Kaliyan/Neelan/Thirumangai Mannan and were among the crowd awaiting the
temple doors to open….Now the most beautiful THIRUVEDUPARI UTSAVAM begins ..At
midnight almost 2 AM , a group of people who were playing the role of Kaliyan’s
friends entered the temple to inform Kaliyan about the newly wed couple. Within
minutes, the temple doors were wide open. The beautifully dressed Thirumangai
mannan in blue velvette dress wearing innumerable intrinsic jewellery holding
gem studded sword , precious gems studded dagger and all other weapons required
by a king galloped on his favourite horse”Aadalma”, rushed outside the temple
and set forth on his journey to loot the wealth .The night is pitch dark . The
sevarthees bearing torches literally run along with Kaliyan. It is a sight
never to be missed. The zeal with which Kaliyan rides on the horse is
inexplicable. One has to be physically present to witness this . The neophyte
devotees who gather for this function usually engage autos/cars to keep pace
with Azhwar and we followed suit. Kaliyan swifts through the narrow muddy roads
to reach the place while we took another route to reach the mandapam. Perumal
and Thayar in Kalyana Thirukolam were giving darshan to the assembled devotees.
Adiyongal also had darshanam from close quarters.Thousands of devotees had
gathered at that place and a village mela was going on. The whole place was
vibrant with devotional music and few Vaishnavas were singing Peria Thirumozhi
in a small mantapam . Some locals were dressed up like Thirumangai Mannan. As
if to compete with the beauty of Full Moon in the sky, many others were
bursting crackers which were decorating the sky. The entire place was in a
festive joyous mood awaiting Kaliyan’s arrival. Kaliyan reached the place along
with his attendants and circumbulated the mandapam thrice swiftly amidst chores
and went inside the mandapam. The act of Thirumangai Mannan looting the wealth
is enacted inside the closed curtain. Later, the thirumeni of Thirumangai
Mannan is taken to a nearby mandapam where he rests for more than an hour. We
were told that during Azhwar’s days, there was a small stream flowing by in
which Azhwar as per the instructions of Perumal had holy bath. Today, the
stream is dried and so we could walk across to the mandapam where Thirumangai
Mannan was resting. All the devotees are allowed to have darshan of Azhwar from
very close quarters. We recollected Manavala Maamunigal ‘s beautiful
description about Thirumangai Mannan’s vadivazhagu. Later, Thirumangai Mannan
alights out from the mandapam amidst fanfare and circumbalate around the Dhivya
Dampadhigal who were now giving darsanam on Garuda Vaahanam. WE were told that
Perumal gives Mantropadesam to Thirumangai Mannan. Wisdom dawns on Thirumangai
Mannan and he seeks forgiveness and repents for his acts . The first ten songs from
Peria Thirumozhi starting with “Vaadinene Vaadi” was recited by all the
assembled bhagavathaas and then neivedyam was offered to Perumal. The divya
dampadhigal honoured Thirumangai Azhwar with parivattam, prasadam,garland,
theertha prasadam and sataari. Karpoora aarthi was given to both Perumal and
Azhwar. The entire procession started towards Thiruvaali temple reciting the
remaining pasurams from Peria thirumozhi. The transformed Azhwar was now seen
moving slowly as he had submitted his valour, strength ,speed , ego at the
Lotus feet of Perumal and as a pure devotee he was now contemplating on the
divine qualities of Perumal.
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