Local pilgrimage, eventful one though

After months and months of persuasion, my parents finally agreed to come to Singa Perumal Kovil. The decision was made yesterday and we set out this morning around 8 AM. For the benefit of those unable to understand where the aforementioned Kovil is, it is in the town of Singa Perumal Kovil (what a coincidence!). And that town, is like a kilometre and a half before the place where my office is located.

We had breakfast at Sai Surya motel and shortly thereafter, went to the temple. As soon as we entered the temple, my mother spotted the strategically positioned 'neiy villakku' sales counter and insisted that I light up a couple. Even as we were buying them, an old man asked our help in lighting up his lot of 25. Basically, he said he had to, but was unable to strain himself. He extended the offer to everyone around the place and so we took only 4.

You see, there is a rule to be followed while lighting these lamps. You are not supposed to inherit the flame from a nearby lamp lit by someone else. The funda being that whatever bad things that the other person was lighting away, you are absorbing them all. Quite a complicated proposition in front of quantum physics, but that's how things are.

So, my father went out and brought a new matchbox for us. I started lighting but with no luck. Invariably, the flame in the matchstick never even got beyond the head of the stick. The minute it hit the wooden portion, it started going off. After exhausting some 10 sticks, I duly handed over the matchbox to me mum. She too had a tough time, but being a very experienced person in the matter of using match sticks to light lamps, she succeeded. It was then an easy job for me to light the other lamps using this one. I stepped away to let my dad light a couple. Once everything was lit, we decided to go proceed towards the main sannidhi. I turned and started walking.

But it turned out that I wasn't walking. I took a step backwards, turned my body and was about to make my next step with the other leg, when I felt a major obstacle on my path. Even before I understood what it was, I suddenly saw the side walls take a 90 degree turn. In other words, I was falling down. While I was doing that, my peripheral vision deciphered the obstacle to be some sort of human being. So I started trying to balance myself in the hope that I don't trample that person.

Amidst shouts of "aiyo" and "paathu" and the stares of all 200 people around that area, I continued to fall. I tried to balance myself and felt a bit of success. Realised that I was only spinning some more and after another failed attempt at balancing, fell down on my left side with a nice little thud.

Due to all my numerous balancing attempts, I was closer to the ground, which by the way was laid out using rocks (like in all old temples). So, I didn't have to worry much about broken body parts or even my mobile phone spilling out of my pocket. But, I did land a bit heavily on my left palm and the elbow and sustained bruises worthy enough of mentioning.

After all sense of normalcy prevailed, I saw who that human being was. It was a middle aged iyengar maami, who insisted that it was me who bumped into her while she was "saevichu"fying Perumaal. Say what? There was so much space in the temple. And she chose the exact spot behind me to do her sevai? Wont common sense tell her that anyone could have bumped into her at that place.

Yes, one can argue that I should have first turned fully, looked around and then walked. But other than a robot, I don't think anyone or thing moves in that fashion. With my attitude of not picking up a fight, I just glared at that lady and walked to the place where there was water to wash away some of the blood that was oozing out.

After this adventure, we went inside the temple and got a good darshan after standing for a long time in the general queue. I realised the availability of a special queue, but somehow felt guilty of using it today. You see, while we were trying to light the lamp, I made a comment about not being happy with this whole lamp lighting funda and felt that probably God punished me right there. So I wanted the darshan after a good wait. While still inside the temple, met an old classmate of mine from school. Sripradha had come with her family and we just exchanged pleasantries and moved on.

The temple praharam is quite interesting. From the outside you only see a plain terrain. Around the Thaayaar sannidhi, you see a small rock like projection inside the temple. And when you start going around the praharam, you see the other side of the rock. The praharam is basically full of steps and takes you on par with the main sannidhi's gopuram (dunno the technical term). It then takes a downward trend and brings you back near the place which the temple authorities are planning to inscribe my name!

After completing the namaskaram formalities, we started the next part of the journey. I took my folks on a guided tour around Mahindra City. I didn't exactly set foot inside my office's campus, but went around the whole place showing them the companies that had opened shop there.

After filling up petrol, we set out to the Hyagreevar temple in Chettipunyam. With expert guidance from some of the kids around the temple, I parked my car in a narrow lane and we went to the temple. There was quite a long queue at the temple and we joined and had the pain of being the last in line, though the pain was alleviated in 5 seconds.

While waiting, we noticed a lot of monkeys in the temple. They seemed to be running around, jumping up and down trees, cutting across the queue thereby scaring the devotees and sorta demanding the prasadam from those who were coming out of the temple. Basically, they were behaving like monkeys.

Everyone in the queue - me, me folks, those in front of us, those behind us etc. - were all talking only about the monkeys. Admiring the skills of an earlier stage of our evolution, everyone was calling out their near and dear, pointing them to one here, one there, one to the side and what not.

I too was following all this chatter and studying the monkeys, when I saw 2 of them climb the compound wall of the temple. One of them was bigger and was a bit behind the first one. After a quick glance and showing of teeth, the bigger one started humping the smaller one - doggy style. The recipient was looking back at the donor, showing teeth, growling and the donor was at it with full vigour.

I instantly noticed a silence in the queue. Probably everyone was equally shocked at the show and worse, most of them had come there with their kids in tow and so they obviously had a very embarrassing moment. After what seemed like a long time, everyone started looking at the diametrically opposite direction of the show and started admiring the botanical layout in the temple and how the temple folks had built a separate enclosure for lighting lamps.

While we were nearing the sanctum sanctorum, I saw a whole lot of activity amongst the devotees in front of me. People were sending school bags across to the kurukkall who in turn placed it at the lord's feet and returned it. Similar actions were done with pens, pencils etc. That's when I told me mum that if only she had done something like that for me, probably I would've scored better grades at school and college. I also instantly realised that I had to take up a certification exam at work and so prayed to Lord Hyagreeva with a specific purpose!

After the darshan was complete, we returned to our car and headed back to Chennai. We had lunch at Mathura and returned home around 3.15, quite exhausted!

16-Feb 7:15PM to 18-Feb 4:30PM ::: Part 4 ::: Dam, the Falls and monkeys

We reached the waterfalls after 5 minutes. When the boatman dropped the anchor at the shore, he reminded that we could spend one hour and then return by the same boat with the same people. Or else, you can return at your convenience in any boat - just that the 15 member / 300 rupees rule still applied.

After a good but short trek (with incidents like this to see), we reached the Baana Theertham Falls. In case I have not mentioned it yet, this is the falls that comes in the movie Roja. If you remember the song 'chinna chinna aasai' and the Falls that comes in it, then you may be pleased to know that the song was shot at this location only.

And even more importantly, the lead character in the movie prays to a statue of Lord Vinayaka - stating things like you better tell the vadakathi saami and other such juvenile blabberings. This statue is also right next to the Falls.

Since I hate water/bathing/getting wet etc., I didn't venture out to the Falls. If you ask a seemingly logical question as to why then, I went there in the first place, well, all I can say is that in civilised countries, you don't generally take bath in public! Just because this country ceases to be one quite often, doesn't mean that I too have to change. I go to the Falls to admire nature's work.

So, Lakshmi, her kids and me were waiting and just generally chatting. Then, I noticed a monkey sneak up from one side and it was weighing its option of attacking our backpack that was lying nearby.

Like a brainiac that I am, I moved a step closer to the bag and looked the monkey squarely in the eye and let out a 'Shoo'. You must note that the sound emanating from my vocal chords were in response to my brain's commands that I need to warn the monkey without offending it.

Unfortunately, what my brain wanted was not achieved. And the monkey either felt too threatened or it felt that I was too meek for it. So it basically gave me back a nice grunt and for dramatic effect, it also decided not to keep its mouth barred and showed an impeccable set of dangerous looking teeth.

I carefully retracted at this point by offering an apology to it. But, I also moved the bag closer to me. At which point, I partly expected that creature to jump towards me and create some interesting time-pass for the people near us. But the monkey decided that I was not a worthy opponent and so it hopped on to a rock and went in another direction. Feeling quite relieved, I then started guarding the backpacks with a more watchful eye.

After some time, the guys also came back and we then decided to head back to T'veli. The original plan was to return to the Hotel, change into better clothes, visit Nellaiappar temple and then go to the reception. But since we seemed to be hard-pressed for time, we decided to restructure items 1,2,3,4 above, to a 3,1,2,4 sequence.

The motion was ratified in our AGM at the shore while waiting for the next boat. After an excruciating wait once again, for 15 people to assemble in the boat, we finally reached the shore where we started from. By now we were like 2 hours behind schedule!