Vairavi's Words

Vairavi on Dance (Posted 6/15/02)

Dance is, of course, a large part of my life at the temple. We practice for endless hours, and then several more performing for the delight of our Lord. I know I am not as good at our formalized dance style as some, and many of the other girls remind me of it frequently. I do love dancing though! When I can I like to dance village dances from back home, which some might say would offend the eyes of our Lord, but I say is he not Nataraja, the embodiment of all dance? So all dances, from the most base to the most sublime belong to him, and I believe he loves them all when they are danced with pleasure and in his honor.

Vairavi on Jewelry (Posted 6/15/02)

As I have probably told you, my father was a goldsmith. I wanted to be a goldsmith too, but it is a profession only for men. My father did let me play at stringing beads and pearls on thread, and would often let me watch him if I sat very quietly and did not ask too many questions. From watching him I believe I learned much of how jewelry is made, although I have not made any myself. Well, that is not entirely true. My sister sometimes sends me nacre and coral beads from home, and I make myself necklaces from these that I wear on days when I am not required to wear the ornate gold temple jewelry. Some of the other tevaratiyar mock me as being a simple girl, and maybe I am, but these things remind me of home. It is not that I dislike the gold jewelry, but perhaps I just saw so much of the making of it as a child that it does not hold the allure that it does for the other girls. I could talk about jewelry forever! I think the little girl who wanted to be a goldsmith is still inside me somewhere, and I am more than happy to tell you all I know about how jewelry is made.

Vairavi on War (Posted 6/15/02)

It seems like our Pandyan kingdom has been at war with our neighbors forever. In the time of my great-grandfathers, the Cheras to the West suffered a great defeat, and since then they seem content to rule only their lands on the other side of the ghats to the West. The Cholas to the North still are a threat to us, however. I say "threat", but truly those of us who are not soldiers are little affected by warfare. Except for some small raiding along the borders, there is a level of respect for the farmers, and civilians are rarely hurt, or involved in conflict at all. Sometimes when we travel it is wise to have a group of hired soldiers as escort. One such group was with the merchant caravan I traveled with when I came to Tirunelveli from my home in Tiruchchendur. I was told not to speak with them, but I was very curious and snuck glances at them when I could. They all wore dhoti like all men, but most had some sort of kancuka covering their upper bodies. A kancuka is a coat, usually of cotton with long sleeves that is sometimes as short as waist-length, but can reach to the ground. Some others wore coat of linked rings of metal. They carried all manner of weapons, from swords to spears to bow and arrows. I know that in large battles they often have fierce war elephants, but those were hardly needed for our voyage. The road from Tiruchchendur to Tirunelveli is well within our borders and well-traveled; truly, the soldiers were probably not needed to ensure our safety.

Vairavi on Food (Posted 6/15/02)

I do not usually cook, as the temple has it's own kitchen and workers. However when I still lived at home and my parents still thought I might someday be married to another craftsperson, my mother did teach me to cook some very simple things. I can make rice and simple sambar which is a type of soup. I can also make a sweet payasam from cooked rice and milk.

Vairavi on Pets (Posted 6/15/02)

I myself do not keep any pets. Those that do most commonly keep birds, usually parrots of some kind. I have also known people to keep cats or dogs, although these seem to come and go as they please from the houses. The wealthy and the king keep peacocks. I detest the screeching of parrots, and even if I found them enjoyable, I would probably not have the time to care for or appreciate an animal of that sort. One of the other tevaratiyar who lives in apartments close to mine has a parrot, and it seems that the thing is never silent. Perhaps one day I will have a cat for a pet and it will eat the parrot. I do enjoy watching animals that live outside the city though, especially monkeys.