After a 2 1/2 hour Pallakku procession, a 'Big Fight' erupts between Karpagambal and Kapaleeswarar
Sundara Moorthy Nayanar mediates and brings them together again
The episode from Thiru Oodal Puranam was played out a day after the flag was brought down at the Panguni Brahmotsavam at Kapaleeswarar Temple, Mylapore
Othuvar Vageesan
It all seemed fine with the grand Thiru Kalyanam on the tenth day of the Panguni Brahmotsavam at the Kapaleeswarar temple and Ravana Vahana procession led by Mukha Veena presentation on Sunday night (Ravana Kapaleeswarar panguni). 24 hours later as it so often happens with couples, Karpagambal made a strong protest to Kapaleeswarar holding the Ganga (a lady) secretly atop his head.
Collection day for the Sripatham
The day after the curtains come down on the Brahmotsavam is the one when, during the Pancha Moorthy procession, the Sripatham make their collections for their 10day services. And it turned out to be a really long drawn one. While the procession on a simple pallakku started at 7.30pm on Monday evening, the return to the Chariot side did not take place till it struck 10pm. And when they did make it back, all of a sudden Karpagambal shot past Kapaleeswarar into the 16 Pillar Mandapam while he stayed back in shock near the Chariot at this sudden hasty retreat from his consort.
Sundarar
Enactment of Thiru Oodal
Kapaleeswarar pulled in his friend and one of the four famous Saint Poets, Sundara Moorthy Nayanar (Thiru Vennai Nallur Sundarar), to check the reason for Ambal’s anger and to bring her back. For the next half hour or so, this historical episode was played out between the 16 Pillar Mandapam and the Chariot side with Sundarar going back and forth between Ambal and the Swami playing a conciliatory role. Ambal reasoned that she had borne with patience many things in the past but this one of him having Ganga secretly in the head was unpardonable.
Late on Monday evening, Othuvar Vageesan anchored the enactment reading out Ambal’s message to Kapaleeswarar and his defense to Ambal that he had tanned waiting in the hot sun. Finally Swami asks Sundarar to play out the Saama Vedam before Ambal to cool her down reasoning out that even Ravana did so after he was crushed under Mount Kailasa by his big toe.After three rounds, Ambal finally relented and made her way to the Chariot side to take her place beside Kapaleeswarar much to the delight of the small bunch of devotees who came specifically to watch the enactment of this episode.
Head Priest E Venkatasubramanian Shivachariar said that many couples have come together after having darshan of the enactment of this episode at the Kapaleeswarar temple.
Shortly after 10.30pm, the Pancha Moorthy idols made their way into the temple.
At the Vaishnavite Divya Desam in Srirangam, a similar episode is played out in front of the Ranganayaki Thayar Sannidhi on the morning of Panguni Uthiram with Araiyars playing the mediatory role (Panguni Uthiram Debate).