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The unchanging Mahamaham
 The
temple city of Kumbakonam had a festive look for
Mahamaham. People had a good
darshan of all gods and goddess in the city. People said to see the glittering
beauty of these decorated gods, one needed more than two eyes.
Adikumbeswarar with Sri
Mangalambal, Lord
Vigneswarar, Subramaniyar,
Chandikeswarar
with their vahanas came
around the four mada streets of the town and gave blessings both day and night
to the pilgrims. With these gods, Sri
Sarangapani, Sri Ramaswami, Sri Varadharajar, Sri Vedanarayanar, Sri
Anjaneyar, Sri Boovaragan, Sri Nageswarar, Sri Abiayageswarar, Sri Kasi
Viswanathar, Sri Gowdameswarar, Sri Banapureeswarar and Sri Gopalakrishnan went
around the city in their rathams, blessing pilgrims.
Finishing
the rathotsavams, all the deities were brought to their tanks. People started
taking bath in Mahamaham tanks from 2 a.m.
itself. The tank had only knee-deep water, which was convenient for the pilgrims
to take bath.
Beggars were not seen anywhere,
due to which there were no petty thefts.
 Various
mutts such as Sriman Perumanallur Sivan and mutts arranged
food
for pilgrims, which was a commendable one at Mahamaham. In the day-time,
Reddiyar Chatiram provided food for the pilgrims and at night, Rathiri Chatiram
provided food.
The generosity of
Krishnaswamirayar of Reddiyar Chatiram and Saraswathi Bai of Rathiri Chatiram
was appreciable. The Reddiyar Agraharam itself looked like a huge annachatiram.
Every house in the city had
many relatives who came for a bath in the Mahamaham tank on the Mahamaham day.
 Many
people felt that this Mahamaham had more pilgrims than the previous one and that
it may be due to awareness among the people. There were many drama troupes,
cinema theatres, stores, hotels, etc., which made the pilgrims spend a lot of
money.
The lighting provided by the
local authorities made the town glitter even at night. Drinking water
facilities were also excellent. All the streets in the city were clean.
The
arrangements done by railways topped the other departments.
The
coaches were surprisingly comfortable.
 Can
you believe that this is the report of a Mahamaham that took place in 1935, about
69 years ago?
This
year’s Mahamaham
(as seen in these pictures) saw many of the same things happening – the Gods and
Goddesses coming out of their haloed precincts to bless the pilgrims; there
being knee-deep water in the tank; the town being very neat and clean; the
number of pilgrims growing (this year was phenomenal due to the influence of the
TV); hotels and cinemas doing brisk business; people beginning to take their
Mahamaham bath at 2 a.m. itself; and there were quite a few Kumbakonam residents
feeding people who had come to the town for the festival.
Except for the numbers and the
elaborate security arrangements, nothing much seems to have changed with the
Mahamaham (which the locals call mamangam). The name seems rather apt, does it
not?
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