Learned members ,
The Samprokshanam of pazhaiya Seeevaram temple is to be performed on 28th June and HH Srimad Andavan is to grace the function. In this context, I am happy to reproduce below the anubhavams of Sri D.Ramaswamy Iyengar on his visit to Seevaram when The Lord of Kanchi visited Seevaram. I shall post one page daily from the book "The Lord at Seevaram" Please enjoy.
dasan
T.Raguveeradayal
THE LORD AT SEEVARAM
__._,_.___We reached the station at night, the silvery moon lighting
our rugged path from there to the village. Highly
unostentatious in itself Seevaram shone that night with a
splendour which it gets only once a year. The whole village
was astir though the clock pointed to the midnight hour, the
time when men usually would be only too glad to forget their
worries of mind and body by laying their limbs to rest and
soothing the mind with sleep. But those Seevaram people
knew no cares that night. Either they had none, or they had
forgotten them in the all-absorbing expectation that now
filled their eager hearts. For was not Lord Varada to come
and visit them on the morrow, only six hours hence? With
this rapture in their hearts those people, men and women
alike were preparing for the morrow's joyous festivity. Not
only the Guest but a number of fellow -guests were to be
accommodated and attended to. Twelve O'clock , one, and
two, all these saw the women cleaning their house-fronts,
and adorning them with flowery flour.
Having reached the village we, my father and myself
succeeded in snatching a few hours' sleep in spite of the
glad noises around us. But the immense joy that awaited us
was too prominent in sight, and we were well awake by four
In the morning. The news that God was coming on, that He was
but halfway from their village dwellings --this news heralded by the
temple peon sprang like cupid's darts into the hearts of the
hearers, and in a minute the whole village was completely up and
looked to its bathing ceremonies. And we, strangers there, had to
pick our way in the morning's half-darkness down to where the
Palar river at a distance of about two furlongs carried her narrow
stream of water.
I could never forget my feeling as I stepped into the water. All
round there was white sand, the watery line excepted. In the dull
morning light the river appeared like a white sheet of glass
stretching far, before and behind us. At that time not a soul was
there in the river save my father and me. The gale which was
blowing from the north chilled us to the bones and our teeth
chattered like a pair of nut-crackers. As we stepped in the water
which was icy-cold, as may be expected after a whole night's
exposure to January weather, and before we had a time to feel the
intensity of the chill, came the signal-shot from the direction of
Conjeevaram. The very moment I sank in the water heedless of
cold now; and so did my father. When we had bathed and dressed
ourselves we went back to the village, put on our Pundras,
deposited our bags with a willing villager and started out to meet
Him who was coming."Meeting midway" ..... follows
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