Sakthi Thamil Changam - English articles                                      

                                 CHITIRAI FESTIVAL-2

NATURE AND GOD

When we travel towards north from Madurai city, we can cross many green paddy farms, coconut groves, small villages and see long thickly dense forests and hills. They are the most sacred ''Alagar malai [ hill]''.

These hills are like lord Vishnu laying on the serpent Aadhisesha. One of the ancient Tamil literature has recorded that people in and around Madurai city did poojas facing these hills .

Many Tamil literatures from 1 B.C has recorded many historical information, myths about Alagar malai.

Chilapathikaram [2.A.D] the most famous Tamil epic has clearly recorded the various routes to Madurai from Trichy. One of the route passes via Alagar malai. The epic hero and heroin Kovalan and Kannagi listens to a bhramin devotee who was traveling across Tamil country, about Alagar malai and its myths.

We are not going to talk in detail about myths and history of Alagar malai here. To know about them in detail read *..................

The hills are completely covered with dense forests. There are plenty of herbs of various medicinal values, still in use by local villagers, Tamilnadu sidda medical college.

There are many varieties of small animals and birds. Monkeys are in plenty. We can feel after Ramayana, these monkeys are still living under Lord's shade doing devotion.

Ancient Tamil songs say that people worshipped Krishna and Balarama in Alagarmalai [Balarama was Krishna's elder brother ]

Paripaadal is one of the very ancient Tamil literature which talks more about Alagar malai.

The name recorded in Tamil songs and saint singers[Alwars] songs is ''Thirumaal Erum Solai''.Thirumaal means Lord Vishnu. Solai means dense garden or jungle. The forest where lord Vishnu resides is called Thirumaal erum solai.

In ancient days people in jungles  worshipped Vishnu. They worshipped lord Vishnu to offer rain to graze cattles. Alagar malai is one of the very few temple in Tamil nadu where Lord Vishnu is celebrated in the naturalistic form.

But the present sanctum is not having Krishna and Balarama. But the sanctum is adorned with the very huge stucco idol of Vishnu with conch, disc, maze, sword and bow. The idol is smeared with a special oil extract from various herbs and sandal woods. The idol is decked with golden ornaments. To his right stand Sreedevi alas Mahalaxmi. To his left stands Bhoodevi alas Mother Earth. They are considered as his consorts.

This idol is named as ''parama swamy''[the lord of ultimate].

Alagar:

If we see the broad feet of Paramaswamy,we can see the most beautifull 3 feet tall icon idol.He is the Utsavamurthy of Paramaswamy.,the most celebrated idol of the temple.He is named as ''Alagar''.

Alagar means ''most handsome person ''.The idol is also celebrated as ''solai malai nambi'',''Kal Alagar'','' sundraragar'',''Thirumaal erum solai manavaalan'',''solai malai yandhai''.

Kal alagar:

He is called ''kal Alagar''.Kal means toddy .Toddy intoxicates us. Like that his beauty also intoxicates our mind and take away from this world of ignorance. He is the family god for Kallar community. They hunt, some times plunder in ancient days and often helped Pandiya kings in army. Still they are living in and around Alagar malai and devote them self to Alagar.

Uniqueness of Alagar malai:

This is the only shrine where very very low caste people are allowed and involved in all poojas. The shire has never neglected them from ancient times when many temples observed many ignorant aspects of caste and creeds.

The idol of Alagar is highly celebrated and protected by this particular sect of people.

They are very simple, logic in their behavior, poojas and customs also. But their staunch surrender to Alagar is beyond explanation. They way they celebrate Him is unexplainable. Now let us see what happens in Alagar malai during Madurai Chitirai festival in part 3.

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