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Divine 'sanctuary'
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"Their capacity to observe things happening around them is quite amazing"
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PARROTS ARE considered sacred for the Meenakshi Sundarewarar Temple. "In those days, whenever priests, chanting Vedic hymns, commit a mistake, they used to prompt" claims P Bhaskaran, Executive Officer of the Temple and Joint Commissioner of Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment department.
Though this statement can be brushed aside as one of the legends surrounding the temple, still there are people who believe in the ability of these parrots.
Parrots are closely linked to Goddess Meenakshi, as her pet birds.
The Temple has dedicated the corridor leading to the `Mukkuruni Vinayagar' shrine to these creatures as the corridor is named `kilikoodu mandapam'.
Sensing the danger following the dwindling numbers of parrots living in this temple, the temple authorities have taken prompt action to rear parrots. "We have the prestigious Alexandria species in our collection, which are generally considered more intelligent than the conventional birds,'' says Mr. Bhaskaran.
"Their capacity to observe things happening around them is quite amazing. Usually parrots are known for their ability to repeat the words taught to them. Now that our trainer of these parrots Angayarkanni is in the process of training these birds to speak, these parrots are uttering the name of Goddess Meenakshi," he says.
The temple administration has made elaborate arrangements to feed these parrots with guava and chilli fruit.
If these parrots are not enough, there are also pigeons in large numbers in the temple. The temple towers have been shelters for these birds. But quite often, these peace-loving birds fall prey to the hungry cats loitering around. Hence, the temple authorities have decided to install pigeonholes to protect these birds. "We are also planning to provide space and food for the pigeons. Already some of our north Indian devotees living in Madurai have come forward to sponsor," he says.
The Joint Commissioner was so meticulous in his work when he queried his staff, "Has Angayarkanni taken her food, have the Siva, Parvathi, Meenakshi taken their bath." It is quite natural for any listener to get confused why this gentleman is taking an undue care in the daily routines of these people.
The surprise element came out only when he revealed the identity of these characters. They are the temple elephants and camels. At present, the temple possesses two elephants, 40-year-old Angayarkanni and another four-year-old elephant donated by a devotee.
The camels of Meenakshi Temple are an added attraction to any festival of the temple. Siva, Parvathi and Meenakshi all are about 3 years of age now. They were donated by a Madurai devotee, who purchased them from Pune. They are fed with wheat husks and channa. Around Rs.10,000 is spent towards the food expenses per month.
The temple also owns Dunga oxen and cows. "As a policy decision, we don't auction the cows donated to the temple. We use their milk for various abhishekams, whereas the oxen are auctioned. All temple animals are given due medical attention as the government veterinary doctors are approached for medical help and periodical medical check up is also conducted.
The religious sentiments of the people are such that these temple animals are considered sacred and they lead any temple procession involving the deities. It is beauty to behold when these animals dressed impressively stroll down streets during temple festivals.
T. SARAVANAN
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Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Madurai
Thiruvananthapuram
Visakhapatnam
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