Chetti Pusam - Thaipusam Eve

On 7 Feb I went for two events. The first was an early morning procession of a silver chariot from the Chettiar temple in Tank Road to the Laya Sidhi Vinayagar Temple In Chinatown. En route the procession carrying Lord Murugan on a silver chariot stopped outside the Sri Mariamman Temple to pay respects to the Goddess Mariamman. The Goddess is Murugan's mother according to the Hindu pantheon and the one who gave Murugan the Vel with which he defeated the demon. Thaipusam is the day on which Murugan got this powerful vel from his mother. The procession stopped at the Sri Mariamman temple at 630am for half an hour. It was a gorgeous opportunity to get up close to Lord Murugan and to do an abhisegam for him. I did that and felt deeply rewarded. Praying to the Lord in the wee hours of the morning when it is still dark and while he in a glowing silver chariot is a magical and mystical experience. Unlike on Thaipusam day it is also not too congested - so you are not jostling with others to get a sight of the Lord. In fact you are encouraged to stand right in front of the chariot and to take your time. It was beautiful. After the ratham left the Mariamman temple it went to the Ganesha temple. Lord Ganesha is Lord Murugan's elder brother. So Lord Murgan then pays his respect to him.

In the evening the 2nd event was another procession. This time Lord Murugan leaves his brother Ganesha (who went to pay respects in the morning) and returns to his own temple at Tank Road. This procession back to his temple is called the Chetti Pusam. Here about 40 men took a Chakra Kavadi. There was no piercing involved. They all were bare chested and wore simple dhotis and carried shoulder kavadis with peacock feathers. And they all sang beautiful Tamil devotional hymns dedicated to Lord Murugan. And all the devotees came dressed in silks and their temple best. It was a joy to work with such a devout group of devotees who were there to share their love for their Lord.