Mahakumbabishekam of Sri Kanchi Maha Periyava Aalayam in Mylapore held

The mahakumbabishekam of Sri Kanchi Maha Periyava Aalayam in Mylapore, held on February 10 crowned the efforts of a Trust, its supporters and devotees.

The Aalayam is located on Pichu Pillai Street, which runs off East Mada Street at one end and Ponnambala Vadhyar Street at the other end.

The trustees had purchased an independent building, some 12 years old, demolished it and built what is a temple that sits inside a building.

“We chose this design to suit the goals of the Trust,” said Ganesa Sarma, one of the three trustees and a former TAFE employee. “This is to be not only a place of worship but also a place where we will put into action all that the Periyaval has taught us.”

The idea to build a temple took shape when the number of people attending discourses held every month, marking Periyaval’s anusham, at an apartment off North Mada Street, began to multiply.  Besides the discourses, processions around the Mada Streets were also held.

Once the Trust was formed ( it had five members then, now it has three – the two others being S. Sethuraman and S. Ramanathan), the groundwork for the temple project began.

While the sannithi and temple ( 24 ft. tall) have been created by sthapathis in the traditional form, the building around it allows for large gatherings.

Why a temple for the Kanchi periyaval?

Sarma says that the agamas have an exclusive section which elaborates on how shrines can be built for saints like the Nayanmars and Azhwars; that the periyaval also deserves a temple.

Why Mylapore?

Sarma says that when periyaval camped at the Sanskrit College from 1957 to 1959, his discourses drew lots of people and made an impact; these were later published in seven volumes as ‘Deivathin Kural’.  He says this series had a telling impact on people.

‘Deivathin Kural’ is now a hugely popular book credited to Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi swamigal, also known as the Mahaswami of Kanchi.  It is a collection of his discourses on a variety of spiritual and philosophical topics, delivered during his tenure as the 68th shankaracharya of the Kanchi Kamakoti peetham.

Sarma says that periyaval also had an affinity for lord Kapaleeswarar and the ambal here in Mylapore.

“That is why we chose to locate the alayam in Mylapore,” said Sarma