Chennai, May 1 -- It is a divine rendezvous! He is the Lord of the masses, an entertainer mingling with his devotees, who throng not just to have a glimpse of him but engage in celebration.
For, he is the God who makes any effort to reaches out to his faithful that takes him on a 42 km trip, up and down from his abode on an idyllic hillock, Azhagarmalai, to the river Vaigai in Madurai.
In the long journey enroute, Lord Sundararaja Perumal dons the robes of the dominant local community, the OBC Kallars, and hence the nomenclature 'Kallazhagar', which is indicative of Vaishnavite classical tradition accommodating folk customs and tradition in its expansion and consolidation.
The Lord finds mention in Sangam poetry and the temple, though an...