The “girivalam” at Thanjavur, an initiative reportedly undertaken by a Sivanadiyar group in Thanjavur a few years ago, is all set to be revived from September 17 – the “Puratasi first Pournami” day – with the support of government departments and the civic body. A group of devotees sponsoring the Pradosha Pujai at Sri Brahadeeswarar temple, popularly known as the Big Temple, twice a month, had taken up a similar initiative about six years ago. The interest among devotees who embarked on the “girivalam” on the full moon day by going around the Big Temple complex gradually waned because of the poor illumination facility along the ramparts of the fortified World Heritage Monument, sources said.Claiming that the practice of going around the Big Temple under the moonlight on full moon day was in vogue in the recent past, R. Ravichandran, director, Azhagiya Thanjai – 2005, an organisation involved in creating awareness of historical and cultural importance of the town, said it had been proposed to allow people to do circumambulation of Sri Brahadeeswarar temple through the outermost corridor of the complex from 5 p.m. on full moon day to 6 a.m. the following day.A decision to this effect was taken at a meeting held at the Thanjavur Corporation headquarters in which government officials, those from the Archaeological Survey of India and the police participated. While the civic body assured the meeting that arrangements would be made for better illumination of the girivalam path abutting the ramparts along the Grand Anicut Canal on the South and the Seppanavari on the West, the police said they would tighten security arrangements. Meanwhile, a section of senior citizens in the town said they had not heard of such “girivalam” practice during their younger days. Probably, a belief that the Rajarajeswaram (Big Temple) itself was a Mahameru (a sacred cosmological mountain with five peaks in Hindu cosmology which is considered to be the centre of all the physical, metaphysical and spiritual universes) might have influenced the organisers of the “girivalam” event to promote the circumambulation on full moon day, they added. Published – September 16, 2024 06:51 pm IST