I saw her just as I was walking to the temple at 6 A.M.
She was drying her sari from the nearby building,
making it hang on to our side of the compound wall.
Later I saw her in the temple during the pooja.
Her sari, her blouse and her face were all turmeric yellow in color.
She came and knelt in front of the sannadhi with closed eyes for a long time.
I had half a mind to tell her to move to the backside - since she sat with her eyes closed anyway.
She asked the priest for 'thuNNooRu' and a karpooram.
She did harathi with the burning karpooram kept in her right palm
and the suddenly swallowed it in a gulp like an ostrich.
Then she got ready for a thaandavam (swaami aadarathu) with a swaying motion like a coiled cobra.
I guess the priest must have encountered such 'aasuri bhaktaas' earlier in his service.
He applied some viboothi on the top of her head and pressed it tight on the middle of the dome.
Slowly her swaying movement stopped and she drank off all our abhishekha milk in three gulps.
Today's karta fell at her feet seeking her blessings and gave her all the auspicious articles like glass bangles, a small mirror, eyetex, kumkum, turmeric, a blouse bit etc etc!
What made her bring all these items to the temple - just for one person - on this particular day?
Usually some kartaas present such articles but they give these to all the ladies present in the temple.
Was this prearranged drama since I had never seen that woman anywhere near the temple in the past 17+ years.
The Priest kept beaming and saying that Ambaal had chosen to visit us on this day!
I trust Devi visiting us as butterflies, caterpillars and a praying mantis but a thaandavini??? :suspicious:
P.S:
A praying mantis visited the temple, the day before yesterday.
It rested on the forehead of the priest for a longtime.
Then it hopped on to my left arm and stayed there.
Then it jumped on to the sari of my friend.
I did not want it to get squashed and tried to chase it away.
But it ran in an arc - since on of its hind legs was missing.
A little later I found it lying on the floor quite dead! 
The priest kept saying that it has taken a punar janmam.
I think it must have attained moksham since it managed
to visit the temple on its five legs before giving up its ghost! :angel:
