Thiru Evvul Veera Raghava Perumal Thai Garuda Sevai

It is just past 10.30am on Thursday (Jan 19) morning. After a long three hour trip, seated atop the Garuda Vahana a beautifully decorated Veera Raghava Perumal of Thiru Evvul Divya Desam finally reached the birth place of his beloved Kanaka Valli Thayar at Eekkadu, on the Northern outskirts of Thiruvallur off the Red Hills highway.

Residents around the Mada Streets of the Kalyana Veera Raghava Perumal temple in Eekkadu welcomed the ‘Mapillai’ with colourful kolams. They presented coconuts and fruits in front of their homes and sought his blessings.

At the entrance of the Kalyana Veera Raghava Perumal temple in Eekkadu, several hundreds of devotees gathered to welcome the Divya Desam Lord who arrived led by the loud beating of the drums and accompanied all the way by the Nagaswaram artistes.

Chief Priest PKS Bhattar sports a big smile on arriving at the Eekkadu Village even as scores of old timers exchange greetings with him. 

It was a commendable performance by the Sripatham personnel to carry the Lord on their shoulders for over three hours and their effort including the Voyali on arrival at Eekkadu was much appreciated by the devotee crowd. As is the tradition here, hot Chakkarai Pongal was served to the devotees after they had the Garuda Sevai darshan.

The Brahmotsavam in Thai is dedicated to his consort Kanaka Valli Thayar. It is the one day in the year when Veera Raghava Perumal provides Garuda Sevai darshan at the place of his in-laws.

The Prabhandham members, a few of them who are also regulars at the Vedantha Desikar temple in Mylapore, led the procession from the temple with the presentation of the Moonram Thiruvanthathi. In the decades gone by, the route from the Divya Desam was a small one way path and Veera Raghava Perumal had to wade through rocky stones to reach Eekkadu. However, with the infra development over the last few years, this road has now become a wider two way route with a median in the middle and the police personnel in good numbers played a terrific role in directing the traffic while the Lord made his way out of Thiruvallur on to the Red Hills highway.

The Gopuram Vaasal darshan has become a popular event on the Garuda Sevai morning and there were devotees who specifically turned up in good numbers to have darshan of Veera Raghava Perumal early on Thursday morning.  Even as the moolavar sannidhi opens at sharp at 6.30am, hundreds of devotees queued up to have darshan of the Lord seen in a Bhujanga Sayana Kolam. 

ஏசநின்ற எம்பெருமான் எவ்வுள் கிடந்தானே - Thiru Mangai Azhvaar

Sowmya Bhattar, formerly at the Vedantha Desikar temple in Mylapore (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2021/01/vedantha-desikar-srinivasa-perumal.html), is the priest donning the Moolavar Sannidhi on Thursday and he does not have a minute's rest till 12.30pm as devotees thronged the temple on this Garuda Sevai day.

For well over an hour, the Lord provided darshan at the mandapam in front of the Raja Gopuram with dancers presenting devotional steps in a group. Shortly after 7am, Veera Raghava Perumal, with four priests accompanying him, made his way on to the Sannidhi Street to rising mobile phones that captured the Lord on the Garuda Vahana. 

At the chariot end, the Prabhandham members began their presentation of Pey Azhvaar’s Moonram Thiruvanthathi even as the buses made their way into Thiruvallur!!! This unfortunately is a sore story with the Brahmotsavam procession on this prakaram having now become a bus route, similar to the ones in Kanchipuram Varadaraja Perumal Divya Desam and Thiru Kudanthai Sarangapani Divya Desam where the procession has to adjust to the bus traffic.

Historically, Veera Raghava Perumal visited the Eekkadu Village on each of the days during this Thai Utsavam. However, in recent times, his trip has been restricted to three days including this Garuda Sevai day. 

In Panguni, the Lord goes on a procession to Puttur Village, about 6 kms from here and into the river for Thiru Ooral Utsavam. There is also a 10 day Brahmotsavam in Chitrai.

Veera Raghava Perumal is believed to liberate one from all kinds of diseases. Hence he is referred to as 'Vaidhya' Veera Raghavan. Over the last decade, the amavasai day each month has attracted huge number of devotees to the temple.

The temple, which is administered by Ahobila Mutt, is open from 630am-12noon and 4pm-8pm.

Veera Raghava Perumal Divya Desam in Thiru Evvalur (now Thiruvallur) is located about 50kms from Chennai on the Arakkonam rail route. Suburban trains every 15minutes from Chennai Central.