The place is home to barely a thousand families. But now it’s different. From Kanchipuram, you don’t even have to ask for directions to Kalavai.Just follow the stream of posh cars carrying Chennai’s elite devotees and you will reach this small village, suddenly famous as the temporary headquarters of Kanchi Shankaracharya Jayendra Saraswati. It is here he has shifted since being released on bail from the Vellore prison—following an undertaking that he would stay away from the Kanchi mutt 45 km away. And it is here that he just about managed to keep alive a 2,500 year old tradition of the Shankaracharyas themselves performing the Chandramouleeswara pooja three times a day.For a while, on Tuesday, it appeared that the centuries-old tradition would be broken.The senior Shankaracharya was yet to be released when his junior, Vijendra Saraswati, who had performed the puja in his absence, was taken into custody. Said Sankaran, the Kanchi Mutt spokesman: ‘‘Usually the puja is performed in the morning, noon and evening. The idols are carried along if the Shankaracharya is travelling and he performs the pooja wherever possible. The three pujas can can be done at one go if it is not possible to do so in sessions.’’On Tuesday, the idols were rushed to Kalavai where Jayendra Saraswati performed three marathon pujas at one go. ‘‘The 2,500-old tradition has been kept alive,’’ said the spokesman.Almost the entire Kanchi mutt has shifted to Kalavai along with the Shankaracharya. The place is now bustling with senior swamis and disciples. A couple of generators are providing power supply to the mutt while a full-fledged kitchen has been started.Even the small book stall selling publications on Kanchi acharyas and the mutt’s heritage and traditions has now opened shop in Kalavai. This morning, the Shankaracharya who spent his first night out of prison in two months, appeared briefly before the devotees. ‘‘He is looking cheerful and fresh. He is also looking very confident which is very important for devotees. He smiled and blessed us and went in to perform the puja,’’ said Kartikeyan, a devotee.Devotees from as far away as Bangalore, Madurai, Thiruvananthapuram and neighbouring Andhra Pradesh travelled overnight to attend the Shankaracharya’s morning puja.Some women became emotional and wept when the Shankaracharya made his appearance. Jayendra Saraswathi, however, refused to speak or meet anyone. The spokesman said the Shankaracharya would speak at an ‘‘appropriate’’ time.Till now, Kalavai has been content with only the occasional Shankaracharya connection. It was here that the grand guru of Shankaracharaya Chandrasekarendra Saraswati took sanyas. The samadhis of the 66th and 67th heads of Kanchi Peetam are also at Kalavai. But for most part it has lived in Kanchi’s shadow. While OB vans and devotees are also here, it is over the Kanchi mutt that the shadow has fallen.On the notice board, cuttings of two full-page ads in English and Tamil, giving details of the mutt and its activities, have been put up. Otherwise, the huge halls are empty. ‘‘We are directing all devotees to Kalavai,’’ said Rangarajan, the guard. ‘‘Without the Shankaracharya, it is as if there is no life here,’’ adds Lakshmi, a devotee. The mutt’s life is in nearby Kalavai which in Tamil means reunification of jeevatma and parmatma.
