Ready for Thirumanjanam

Usually Ijjai/tadiyaradhanai is over by about 1:30 p.m. Not so on Swati; or if someone sponsors Thirumanjanam for Perumal. Thirumanjanam is performed only for a few Murthees every day during Abhigamanam and Ijjai. However, every Swati, Sri Malolan and Navaneetha Krishnan enjoy Thirumanjanam. Further, sishyas occassionally sponsor periya Thirumanjanam. On such occassions Thirumanjanam for all the Perumals and AcAryAs in the Silver Mandapam is perfomred. Thus, Swati Thirumanajanam is for Malolan and Dolai Krishnan only; and Periya Thirumanjanam is for all perumals, but only when somebody sponsors.

Periya Thiorumanjanam may be sponsored for Rs. 3000 and Swati Thirumanjanam for Rs. 1500. If you sponsor the thirumanjanam you must arrange to have a long list of items ready, such as milk, honey, ghee, fruits, vastram, etc. etc. The Kainkaryaparas will help you procure these items.

Getting Malolan and Krishnan ready for Thirumanjanam is a painstakingly slow task. All the Dhivya Abharanas must be carefully removed from their Thirumeni. With relatively small thirumEni, both the Lords adorn a great variety of AbharaNas. If one is not careful the golden chains may get tangled up. Even more arduous is the task of putting all the jewels back upon the Thirumeni of the Lords. It must proceed in a particular sequence and must be adorned in a specific way. If not, one will run into difficulties completing the task. The Aradhakas do take great care, love and relish doing this. This takes about an hour and a half.

While the Aradhakas get Perumals ready for the Thirumanjanam, the Sri Sannidhi paricharakas get all other items ready such as milk, curd, honey, iLanIr (coconut water), scented water (pannIr), silver kalasams with fresh well water decorated with condiments, vastras, etc.

Sahasradarai

Then, to the accompaniment of Vadyam, Thirumanjanam begins, with divine water, milk, curd, and honey. The curtain is drawn and the vastram is changed. Then the curtain is opened and the Thirumanjanam continues with coconut water, panneer, sahasradarai, and so on. The thirumanjanam takes about 45 minutes. The curtain is now drawn again for alankaram. It will be another hour or so for Thaligai and Mangala Harati. Thus, if there is Periya Thirumanjanam by the time Ijjai is concluded and tadiyaradhanam begins it will be close to 3:00 p.m. It will be almost 4:00 clock by the time thamboolam is distributed at the Ashramam. For this reason the kainkaryaparas do not particularly look forward to Thirumanjanam.

A picture album of Periya Thiumanjanam is available elsewhere at this site. Click below for viewing it.