From Four to 128: Kal Garuda Weight Increases During Nachiyar Koil Utsava

During the festival, the processional deity Sri Srinivasa Perumal was magnificently adorned and taken out on the revered stone Garuda vahana. The procession moved through the temple streets amid chants of “Govinda Govinda” and “Om Namo Narayanaya,” accompanied by traditional nadaswaram and tavil performances. Temple authorities made elaborate arrangements for crowd control, security, and smooth darshan for devotees.

How the Kal Garuda Weight Increases

One of the most fascinating aspects of the Nachiyar Koil Kal Garuda Sevai is the mysterious increase in the perceived weight of the stone Garuda idol during the procession. According to temple tradition, the vahana begins its journey from the sanctum carried by just four devotees. As the procession advances through successive streets and pradakshina points, the number of bearers gradually increases in multiples — 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, and even up to 128 — though the weight is believed to remain unchanged.

Bearers Reduce Gradually as Garuda Returns to the Sanctum

After the procession concludes, the Garuda vahana is carried back towards the sanctum, where the number of bearers gradually reduces in stages—from 128 to 64, then 32, 16, and 8—until finally, just four devotees carry and place it inside the sanctum.

Sweat Droplets Seen on Stone Garuda During Long Procession

Devotees also observe sweat droplets on the stone Garuda during the six-hour-long procession. The slow-moving Garuda vahana, compared to Thayyar’s faster Annam vahana, further adds to the divine mystery.

Devotees believe this phenomenon symbolises the divine presence of Lord Vishnu, making the Garuda Utsava at Nachiyar Koil one of Tamil Nadu’s most unique and spiritually significant temple festivals.