Chandiyagam Jolted by Vedic fire

There was a remission of about half an hour in the ongoing 5-day and continuing `Chandiyagam' rituals with smoke engulfing the yagasthali (venue) and the organisers and the vedic priests being choked and running out for a fresh breath of air on Sunday. Some organisers from the safety of their portals made repeated appeals to the priests and others to return and continue with the rituals, but the priests gasping for fresh breath stayed off for some time. The smoke from 101 yagna kunds (hearths), fuelled by kilos of clarified butter, camphor and tons of firewood, enveloped the venue, choking the priests. They all ran out for some time, stopping the vedic chants. As they kept away, the organisers made fervent appeals to return but to no avail. At one stage, the organisers directed the police not to allow anyone to leave the yagasthali. This led to greater confusion at the venue. Exhaust fans were immediately deployed in half an hour, when the priests returned and all could breathe freely. The rituals continued after the disruption with the blowers blowing out the smoke and allowing for proper ventilation. No wonder the Chandiyagam reflects the unprecedented scale of the rituals, which by legend had not been performed in the past several millennia ever since Panduputra Dharmaraja of the Mahabharata fame performed Rajasuyayaga at the conclusion of the original Kurukshetra War. The vedic priests may have surely found out a method to recompense for the half-an-hour's smoke interruption by appeasing the Agnidev (fire God).