Music floated from all sides inside Sri Kapali Temple on March 24 evening to supplement the mood of the annual Panguni festival here.
At the far end of the Navaratri mantapam, odhuvar Sargurunathan, his colleagues and musicians sang at poetic pace, with a few people seated in meditation, soaking in.
In the eastern yard, off the saneeswarar sannidhi, on a decorated stage, a galaxy of nagaswaram-tavil artistes, a full complement, performed – music that suits this atmosphere. A few people chose to sit and listen but not for long.
The queue at the prasdam desk grew long as one man gently scooped some prasadam and dropped it in a dhonnai, his service for the day.
Three fowls, donated to the temple, clucked a bit and found refuge between temple furniture.
Three young women, taking measured steps followed each other, deep in prayer as they circumabulated that evening.
Up above, from the eastern gopuram, bathed in illumination, ran up and down, design elements which signed off each cycle with ‘Siva! Siva!’ slogans in digital form, attracting lots of cellphone shoots by devotees who had looked up.
The scene was later set for the silver chandra vahanam, standing near the nagaswaram stage, the kili vahanam and the annam vahanam, all polished and bright for the procession past 8 p.m.
Much later, women water-washed the Sannidhi Street zone and the 16-pillar mantapam area and drew large kolams, a traditional welcome for the gods.
Inside the tenple, in a largish store space, the finishing touches were being given to the large, silver-plated Nandi, for the grand adikara nandi procession on Wednesday morning.
So much life inside the temple, so many people in devotion of their own.
