I usually visit the city of Madurai a lot as it is my mom’s hometown but this particular visit was different as I went on the occasion of Pongal. For covering the occasion, we went one-day before so that we can rest in the city and cover everything. Our Teja express train was puffing up for a start at 6:00 am. The journey in Teja express was different as was a new train launched which is much speedier than the normal train and with that, this was also my first time for me to travel on this train. The train has no sleeping type of seats and only had seaters but it reaches the destination faster than normal trains. On the train, I was having a lot of fun like listening to “on purpose with Jay Shetty’s” podcast on Spotify, reading watchmen comics on Kindle, chit-chatting with my parents, eating the tasty snacks ordered, and seeing the view through the window.
After arriving
at the Madurai railway station at 12:00 am, we directly went to my
grandparent’s house and rested for some time. After a quick rest, I started
exploring the way the city prepares for the occasion of Pongal. I saw shops
selling pots for cooking Pongal in huge numbers, sugarcanes in the road as
immediate shops with vehicles carrying it market filled with crowds,
devotees waiting to see the Goddess Meenakshi Amman at its temple and went back
to home after watching all of these.
Surgancanes are sold on the road at Madurai. PC: Vijaya Shankar O
On the next
day, I woke up early and started to cover the events of Pongal. As the
traditions say, I did the oil bath and went to a nearby temple where I saw the Poosari (priest) making Pongal for the devotees in the very early morning of 5
am. Covering that and getting a blessing from God, I traveled back and, on the
way, I saw a family stewing Pongal in a small pot near the market outside their
home. Then, we took an auto to the historic Meenakshi Amman temple which is one
of the oldest temples built between the years 1623 and 1655 located on the
southern bank of the Vaigai River. The temple has a wonderful architecture that
is known to many people globally and is primarily dedicated to the goddess
Parvati, known as Meenakshi, and her spouse, Shiva. Its most striking feature
is the exquisite façade, which has highly minute details with great art
pieces incorporated in its walls and pillars. The temple’s complex is made in
accordance to Shilpa Shastra having 14 gateways towers (Gopurams), golden
‘vimanas’, holy sanctums, and shines dedicated to the goddess.
I was roaming
around the streets of Meenakshi Amman Temple where I saw an old woman selling Koorai
poo, a priest taking the machete with a broken coconut inside the temple, a lot
of devotees traveling to a destination in a yellowish dress. After seeing all
these, we went to Sholavandan on hearing the news that they are celebrated the
Pongal festival in a much more grandeur way. So, for us, traveling from
Palanganatham to Solavandan which both located in Madurai was just around 1 hr.
and when we reached the temple, nothing has begun yet.
I was actually
hoping that they don’t start because I was about to cover the event. The people
around the temple started their work of putting Kolam in the walkway, preparing
to set up the stage and lights for cultural programs, arranging necessities for
the Pongal, and around 3 hrs., everything was happening all quickly. The dancers
and foreigners arrived, kolam was done, Pongal was getting prepared and the
audience was set for the show to begun.
Soon after Pongal
was done, the folk dancers were entering into the temple with Nadaswaram and Melan
hitting across the borders of the temple. They stepped onto the stage and
started to perform various folk dances like Bommalattam, Poikkal Kudarai
aattam, Karakattam, Thappaattam, Oyilattam, Silambattam, and few children even
performed the famous Tamil Martial arts – Vaal Veechu on the stage.
When the
performance was going on, the members of the temple felicitated the foreigners
and they even came on stage, dancing with the performers and enjoying its form.
It was so bright and fun to watch all the cultural aspects and its richness
being spread across people with diversity.
On the outside
of the temple, it was heavily crowded with people lighting the deepam’s and waiting
for a blessing from god. It was 11:00 am when we left from there and was
traveling on the car and suddenly stopped at a place where a huge dump of waste
materials being burned out and over the other side of the road, right opposite
to it, was a group of villagers playing a game of who will break the pot which
is being hung at a certain height. It is a kind-of fun game played across
villages on this occasion and after seeing that, we reach back home.
The next day
was Mattu Pongal, we went to Mellur to shoot the sport of Manju virattu which
is similar to Jallikattu but in a conduct in a free area. I saw villagers catling
the bulls in the road and in the nearby temple, I saw villagers preparing Pongal
in the hot sun. When we walked into a village, a few miles in, we saw a lot of
people standing outside and carrying out bundles for the Manju virattu sport.
Walking with them, we reached the arena where a lot of bull owners were
preparing their own bulls for the sport which was decorated with clothes and
jingles. When a few minutes later, the bundles were put in and the sport has begun.
The Villagers from every arena were cautious as well as excited in watching who
will catch the bull and which one. After few hours, the sport was done and the
prize winners were given bundles and some cash amount as well.
On the next
day, it was Kannum Pongal, we, as in my father and me decided to go to Alanganallur’s
Jallikattu which is a very famous sport occurs every year on the occasion of
Pongal. Okay, Shooting Jallikattu was way harder for me, as we had to buy
tickets and reach the spot by 7 am itself. Reaching at the spot at the right time
and all was okay, but we weren’t actually allowed to go in when we reached
there as it was way too much crowded and they said that our seats were
pre-booked. I guessed that it was because some official members entered in,
so we neglected the issue and sat till 11:00 am and got the ticket in the VVIP
section where we were allowed to see the sport with the foreigners.
I haven’t seen
Jallikattu at all and seeing now was some kind of fun, the traditional sport is
said to be practiced during the Tamil Classical period and was common among the
Ayar people lived in the “Mullai” geographical division of the ancient TN.
It also said to help in breeding the bulls and in showcasing the tradition
of Madurai all over the world. I caught few pictures of a man catching the
bull’s back a few times and it was all about timing to frame and shoot. I
really enjoyed watching the sport play in front of me and with people
nearby cheering and clapping when someone catches the bull.
Then, while
coming back, I went to see the sugarcane fields in the villages of Alanganallur
and into a person’s home where he with two other people were painting the small
pots and making it decorative.
After all of
that, we left back to home and came back to Chennai from Madurai’s Railway
station on the same Teja Express.
For me, seeing
the occasion of the Pongal festival in Madurai was just an amazing experience, I
got everything covered on camera which when looked back, bring all those travel
memories to me. Seeing the various type of events and sports enriched my knowledge
about the festival and its essence in the city of Madurai. From the culture
they follow to the events that happened over the 4 days was an exhilarating experience
to have seen it live and on traveling back in train from Chennai to Madurai, I
saw the sun setting in the paddy fields which set my mood and mind for me to
visit this beautiful city again.
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