Garuda in Kancheepuram

This is Arvind. He works in one of the temple complexes in Kancheepuram. He's not a priest, and I certainly don't know all of his duties. He's a gang leader for the folks who carry the idols. He's a friend of a my friend Kausik, and he's a really nice guy. He was excited to have a New Yorker there for the festivities, especially one that knew enough to where a dohti (Thanks Kausik!)

I didn't count how many were in the team, or ask how heavy the platform is, but the timbers that they are carrying, by the size of them, are going to weigh a lot by themselves.

Apparently there are a number of idols who get taken around for veneration at this temple and Arvind and his teams are paid to do that.

A couple of Arvind's team members have sprouted specific muscles from their labors. They stand on alternating sides of the beam, and hold onto the guy in fron of them with their free hand.
Every so often they'll stop and set the float down on stands and duck under the beam to switch shoulders. It's a great bit of choreography!

This was one of the days that Lord Vishnu is placed on his mount Garuda, and taken out of the temple into the world. The last time he flew out was my birthday, but there were issues at the office that kept me from attending. So I made sure not to miss this time.

When Vishnu travels he rides on Garuda. There's a blog on Garuda a few weeks back. I originally mistook him for an angle when I first saw him at the temples. I have come to learn that he is actually an eagle.

So Garuda is the brass faced one here with the big eyes, and he's holding out his hands to support the Lord's feet.

The priests put Lord Vishnu into some very cool purple pants and brought him out of the temple. He's sitting on Gaurda's head, and he's draped in a huge collar of flowers. You might make out his bejeweled right hand which he is holding up, palm out in blessing. He's wearing an enormous crown, and you can find his head in the middle of that orange line of flowers. (It took me a while to see that under all the flowers and wrappings, there really is an idol!)

Of course the Lord is going no where unattended and on the float are a couple three priests fanning him, and blessing him and holding the umbrella. (More weight Arvind?)
There are also musicians and drummers and the crowds!

Once around the temple, inside the perimeter walls, and then they head for the gopuram (big tall gate house) and out into the streets. Then once around the outside of the temple walls, before going inside. Don't know if they go around the park, it was Arthur who loved te park so much.

This was a particularly auspicious parade. It seems that there was an elephant in a pool in Kanchepuram. The elephant got attacked by a crocodile and fought desperately for 1000 years (don't ask). The elephant called out to all his relatives and friends for help, but none would dare to fight the fierce crocodile. Then he called out to the saints and gods and lords for salvation, but none came to help thinking that another would. Finally he beseeched the Lord of Lords and Vishnu, realizing that it was he being beseeched, mounted Garuda, defeated the crocodile and saved the elephant.

Kausik tells me that the follow up story about the elephant is too long, so it wil have to wait for another time.