Got up to the lovely hymns, saluting the good lord, wafting from the numerous speakers all around. The temple town doesn't sleep except for the two hours immediately after midnight. People are up and about by three, in the morning, to have the 'darshan' of the 'nirmaalyam' - when the deity is given its bath! The atmosphere is charged with the chants of the pilgrims and their footfalls never, ever seem to end.
The bride's dad's - my uncle - first job was to get a special prayer done on the 'thaali' by the priest at the sanctum. The ornament would be draped on the bride's neck by the bridegroom at the auspicious moment which was around 1050 hrs. Most parents prefer this event to take place in god's presence on the numerous platforms built for the purpose at the eastern entrance of the temple and the subsequent ceremonies take place in one of the halls - there're many nearby and owning one makes good business sense.
.......And all too soon it was a three quarters past 10 and a tight number of family members had taken station in the queue below the platform, awaiting the appointed hour. And as an active(?) observer, I was watching the crowd associated with each couple pushing and jostling one another to get on to the elevated platform meant for the purpose. As it approached the appointed hour, my uncle had started getting restless about not meeting the deadline - of time, mind you - because the ones in the queue before our's were taking an inordinately long time. The priests were going through the ritual of handing over the 'thaali' to the boy's father who then, hands it over to the bridegroom who in turn, drapes it on his would-be-wife's neck that seals them in their new avatar as 'man and wife' and eventually, seek the blessings of the priest and then the God. (Wonder why this order? It's always baffled me but I've refrained from raising the question lest I be considered an ignoramus and also because, according to me the order of precedence should be the parents, the god and finally, the priest!).
It was just one more couple before our's, when an uncle of that contingent jostled rather harshly casting the choicest expletives as he tried to get a ringside view of the proceedings - his right, of course - and I had to tell him that his behaviour was not appropriate for the occasion to which the responses were quick and many totally unexpected, I must admit:-
(a) a quizzical look as if questioning my temerity to check him.
(b) a violent sideward swaying of his head as if to quieten and shoo me away and
(c) a suppressed laughter from the crowd probably sensing the incongruity of it all!
Man shows his true colours even if he's meekly seeking the blessings of his god. Wonder what the god's take on this would be?
Tailpiece.
And come to think of it, as my mom put it, her wedding had taken place right in front of the sanctum with a clutch of friends and close relatives, years ago. There was hardly any crowd other than their's she recalls!
The bride's dad's - my uncle - first job was to get a special prayer done on the 'thaali' by the priest at the sanctum. The ornament would be draped on the bride's neck by the bridegroom at the auspicious moment which was around 1050 hrs. Most parents prefer this event to take place in god's presence on the numerous platforms built for the purpose at the eastern entrance of the temple and the subsequent ceremonies take place in one of the halls - there're many nearby and owning one makes good business sense.
.......And all too soon it was a three quarters past 10 and a tight number of family members had taken station in the queue below the platform, awaiting the appointed hour. And as an active(?) observer, I was watching the crowd associated with each couple pushing and jostling one another to get on to the elevated platform meant for the purpose. As it approached the appointed hour, my uncle had started getting restless about not meeting the deadline - of time, mind you - because the ones in the queue before our's were taking an inordinately long time. The priests were going through the ritual of handing over the 'thaali' to the boy's father who then, hands it over to the bridegroom who in turn, drapes it on his would-be-wife's neck that seals them in their new avatar as 'man and wife' and eventually, seek the blessings of the priest and then the God. (Wonder why this order? It's always baffled me but I've refrained from raising the question lest I be considered an ignoramus and also because, according to me the order of precedence should be the parents, the god and finally, the priest!).
It was just one more couple before our's, when an uncle of that contingent jostled rather harshly casting the choicest expletives as he tried to get a ringside view of the proceedings - his right, of course - and I had to tell him that his behaviour was not appropriate for the occasion to which the responses were quick and many totally unexpected, I must admit:-
(a) a quizzical look as if questioning my temerity to check him.
(b) a violent sideward swaying of his head as if to quieten and shoo me away and
(c) a suppressed laughter from the crowd probably sensing the incongruity of it all!
Man shows his true colours even if he's meekly seeking the blessings of his god. Wonder what the god's take on this would be?
Tailpiece.
And come to think of it, as my mom put it, her wedding had taken place right in front of the sanctum with a clutch of friends and close relatives, years ago. There was hardly any crowd other than their's she recalls!
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