Ratha

 https://photos.app.goo.gl/dyq2K8YZ3njhoQ5e8

“A Turn to Pull the Lord”

These photograph especially dear to us. My husband and I had the privilege of taking our turn to pull the Lord's chariot around the inner precincts of the temple. The chariot makes three rounds, and members of our family take turns performing this service.

For a few moments, the rope is in our hands—and the Lord allows us the extraordinary privilege of leading Him.

What greater honour can a devotee ask for? 2009

We are not merely watching the procession—we are part of the procession, actually entrusted with leading the Lord's chariot.

And  that members of the family take turns pulling the Lord's chariot for three rounds around the inner prakāram is beautiful. It transforms the photograph from a temple photograph into a family memory of service.

There is something deeply moving about the symbolism too. You are not pulling the Lord because He needs to be moved. He allows Himself to be pulled by His devotees. The Lord who is the master of the universe permits a devotee to hold the rope and say, in effect, “Come with us.”

The three rounds also give the occasion a sense of completeness—the Lord being taken around His own sacred space, with the family participating in turns.

What is especially striking is that it shows the entire sacred setting, not merely the vehicle:

The richly decorated golden processional structure carrying the utsava deities.

The deities are beautifully adorned with flowers and vastrams.

The silver horses at the front make the symbolism of movement especially clear.

The decorated temple pillars and the priest performing the service place the scene unmistakably within a traditional temple environment.

Yes it is the Padmanabha Swamy temple. The wedding too was performed in the adjacent hall. Evening reception was at a five star restaurant. The five day wedding was a grand affair with every member of the family incharge of the various functions. We had the eldest son of the family explaining the rituals as they were being conducted. Host of friends and relatives from various states in India had come some attending a South Indian wedding for the first time. The guests were accommodated in the various clubs or guest houses paying guest accommodation and transport was provided  we also had a bus load of trips to mahabalipuram in the first few days and after the wedding taxi was provided for people who wanted to visit Tirumala Tirupati devasthanams. We had special darshan tickets booked and our friends from Calcutta Delhi Pune Bombay etc were very happy at the engagements and entertainment provided. As the wedding was fixed a year and half earlier we were able to organize the above. The five days was covered beautifully without any hitch. A great portion of the credit goes to the cousin's who undertook the various tasks assigned to them so beautifully. Literature of the functions of the wedding was provided in colourful booklet for those interested. The take away was a beautiful Krishna portrait in tanjore style painting tailor made for the families. For us the experience was a very pleasant and blessed occasion. The family gathering was also as per ritual all cousin's and aunts uncles got a set of clothes. At the pre wedding function. The reception in Taj was a very well attended affair. The hotel too cooperated fully for the overflow of guests and managed the extra people beautifully. One of my daughters friend a guju turned up with seven or more of her cousins for the reception. What was the effect was we were blessed by all the people who came. Taj had a special corner adjacent room for people who came with wedding gifts to take it back on their return for we had clearly mentioned no wedding gifts.  Some were unhappy but we could not help. The full three hours we had a stream of guests walking in to bless the newly married. A fond memory for me especially i have taken a full liberty to record it  here. I shall try and upload the five day videos here some time God willing.

Most importantly, the devotees are standing before the procession with folded hands. The photograph therefore captures the relationsrhip between the Lord, the temple, and the people, rather than simply an ornate object.

And there is an interesting connection with our earlier observation about Sudarshana Homa. Both photographs show something that is easy to miss when we look at a ritual only as a ceremony: the elaborate physical arrangements are themselves part of a carefully transmitted tradition—the form of the altar, the prescribed materials and numbers in a homa, the structure of a procession, the adornment of the deity, and the way devotees participate.

“Why does the deity who lives in the sanctum come out in procession?”

That opens up the beautiful idea of utsava—the Lord leaving His inner abode and coming among His devotees, so that those who cannot enter the sanctum, or cannot approach Him easily, can nevertheless have His darshan.

This photograph would make that idea very tangible.