An evening in a temple



The Margazhi Season or what is also known as the December Season in Chennai is all about music and the arts, as much as it is about devotees going on a pilgrimage to Sabarimala. I was at the Ayyappan Temple in KK Nagar this evening. The temple was crowded, much more than on a working day. There were several devotees and their families as well as others who had come to pray. One of the attractions during the Season here, as in several other temples across Chennai and Tamil Nadu, is the evening kutcheri performance. So, even as you pray, there’s live Carnatic music to provide that special feeling. Many people who visit the temple just sit on the sands to listen, after praying. The singers and accompanists are given special prasadam, perhaps a meal as well. They do not really sing for money, a voluntary worker in the temple told me.

Pictures show the singers and accompanists on a dimly lit stage, and people on the sands listening.

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