East Gaterr Food Tips 1 - Maami Mess in Kumbakonam

Kumbakonam is a land of so many ancient temples. Kumbakonam always stands unique and is a place where many traditional practices are still actively carried out. Throughout the year, footfall of tourists and pilgrimages are always high because it is a Punya Kshetram. 

Two things that comes to our mind when we talk of Kumbakonam is ancient temples and the famous Degree filter coffee. I’ll write about the famous Filter Coffee later. But what about the food? When such footfalls of pilgrimage comes to places like Kumbakonam, they prefer Pure Vegetarian food. Mostly Vegetarian food is available inside the temples, which is Prasadams, already offered as Neivedhyam to different Bhagavans in various temple. But again what’s the scenario when we come out of the temple?

You would normally assume that a ‘Temple Town’ like Kumbakonam will have many places to enjoy some good vegetarian food. But in reality, there’s ONLY ONE place in Kumbakonam which serves you pure Sattvic (No onion and Garlic) food, owned and maintained by a ‘one woman’.

 

Meenakshi Maami at her desk

Meet Mrs.Meenakshi, the woman who has been single handedly running “MAAMI MESS”, for the last 42 years! Maami Mess, is a simple homely restaurant, located at Gandhi Park North (TSR Big Street). No fancy interiors, no big boards, no cozy tables and air conditioners. It is a small restaurant, which you might easily miss if you are driving fast on that way.

Maami Mess is unique in its way. Serving pure Sattvic food, as mentioned earlier, on a banana leaf. Healthy and hygienic food at amazingly low price that one could expect. One full Thaali of unlimited food only for 70 rupees! The Thaali includes rice, Curry, kootu, pickle, Sambar, Rasam, VathalKuzhambu and curd. Everything served traditionally on a banana leaf.

They also serve morning breakfast like Idli, Dosa and coffee and night dinner like Adai, Chappathi etc.

All the employees of Maami Mess are women. They must have been inspired by Meenakshi Maami herself. After having a satisfying lunch, I met Maami at the counter. She was seated on a little wooden chair behind a table. On the table was a black slate and piece of chalk. She still keeps accounts the traditional way without any modern gadgets like calculators etc. Beside her table is a little shelf filled with images of Bhagavans and Kanchi Paramacharya. From that corner where she sits, she supervises the Mess.

There are a lot of places that go by the same name. It is easy to get confused or fooled. Many of these new restaurants are obviously using the brand name of this Maami Mess. So be careful and watch out.

Next time you are on a yatra to Kumbakonam, you know where to get excellent, pocket-friendly Sattvic food. Head to Maami Mess. I have posted the images of Maami mess and Meenakshi Maami for your reference and I have tagged on the location as well.

Happy Eating!!!

Yours East Gaterr

Meenakshi Devi From Kongu Nadu

The Trinity of Goddess Shakti are Kanchi Kamakshi, Madurai Meenakshi and Kasi Visalakshi. When we talk of Madurai, the first thing to strike our mind would be Meenakshi also Vice versa. Madurai and Meenakshi are inseparable identities. But for me, Now Devi Meenakshi’s name reminds me of one divine friend of mine from Coimbatore, ‘Vignesh Balan’, who got Deeksha from his guru and has surrendered himself to Devi Meenakshi.

Last year Navaratri 2018, I wrote about my favorite “Bangaru Kamakshi of Thanjavur”. For this year I’m presenting you my blog about Meenakshi Devi from Coimbatore.

About Vignesh - The Meenakshi Priyan

Vignesh Balan is my friend whom I met recently through Facebook. Initially when I gone through his Facebook posts, all I found is he’s madly devoted towards Goddess Meenakshi. Vignesh is in his mid-20s’, previously working somewhere in Thiruppur, now in Coimbatore. He was always speaking and sharing about his Goddess Meenakshi. This made me more interested to know about how he’s got into such devotion. Whatever he has shared with me about his experience, I’m keeping short because going into details might make you all confused.

Rare Sitting Posture of Meenakshi

Making of The rare Meenakshi

Vignesh Balan got Deeksha from his guru Agasthiya Shiva Siththar back around 2013 probably. After few years, Vignesh had this dreams of Devi Meenakshi appearing in his dreams frequently, especially in sitting posture, whereas Meenakshi Devi is actually in standing form. In the year of 2015, when he went to meet his Guru in Pudhukottai, he met another person who’s an ardent devotee of Arunachaleshwarar. His name was  Muralidharan, who sponsored for the making the idol of Devi out of the intention of serving a noble cause. Finally Vignesh and Sthapathi decides to make an idol of Devi Meenakshi in sitting form, for which they had just one photo of Raja Mathangi deity.

Meenakshi Before Alangaram

When the Stapathi poured in the heat metal into the shape of Devi Meenakshi, other workers notices that the deity even before getting its complete structure is shining like a bright sun, which doesn’t normally occurs for any other idols while making. Then they realizes the presence of cosmic power in it. The day when heated metal was poured in, unfortunately Vignesh loses his father. 

Finally, the idol making of Devi Meenakshi got completed in 2016. Vignesh took the idol after opening the eyes of the deity to various temple including Lalithambigai temple, Thirumiyachur, Kumbeshwaran Temples, Patteeswaram temple and Finally to Madurai Meenakshi Amman temple. There as surprise to Vignesh, one of his known priest takes the Meenakshi idol in sitting form into the shrine of Meenakshi, there it was kept for around 90-minutes and pooja being carried out. He then brings his Meenakshi Devi to his home with lot of Pooja already being done and could be able to feel the presence of Meenakshi Devi in his idol. 

After 3 months of Pooja to the Meenakshi Devi in the posture of sitting, he then eventually made to buy an idol of Meenakshi, made of Sand from Madurai. Since then he considered the Utsava Moorthy of Meenakshi as the Moolava Moorthy. Once the Moolava Moorthy Meenakshi came in the hands of Vignesh, he then continues his pooja. During Aarthi time, he finds Meenakshi smiling gently towards him. He didn’t cared about that, as he was thinking that it was an effect of the light from the lamp, but this regular occurrence of Meenakshi Devi intrigued him. As he observed it wasn’t because of the light, he actually felt the Meenakshi Devi breathing as the fire in the lamp was shaking, which was kept at the left side of the Moolava moorthy Meenakshi.

With the divine grace of Meenakshi Devi, Letchumanan Subbiah, who is working as a doctor in Singaapore came forward to decorate Meenakshi with Kavacham and more jewels. He had a dream of Meenakshi Devi, later found Vignesh in his contacts through Facebook.

All this happened and eventually everything fell at place just because of the grace of the divine Shakti. Also Vignesh says everybody just came forward to donate for Devi Meenakshi. Vignesh never misses his Pooja to Meenakshi Devi and also prepared Neivedhyam for Meenakshi, as prescribed by his Guru (Generally he follows the Siththar’s method).

Vignesh as for me is a blessed being, never expects any help from anyone and also said that nothing would have happened without the right guidance of his Guru. I had a conversation of one and a half hour to get to know these incidents in detail. Unfortunately when I went to Coimbatore in the month of June, I couldn’t make it to Devi Meenakshi at his residence. In the beginning of our friendship I thought nothing just normal, when I got to know these details, I found it to be a surprising one. Devi Meenakshi showers her blessings where her ardent devotees call her. Here in Vignesh’s case, she’s showering her blessing in sitting posture in Coimbatore (Kongu Nadu).

Yours East Gaterr