8 September 2013

Panthakal -- September 8, 2013


Early this morning the Panthakal Function was performed at the Big Temple to mark the official beginning of the rituals and ceremonies preceding the Karthigai Festival (Mahadeepam is November 17, 2013). 

As well as blessing the front of the Temple, outside the Raja Gopuram, the priests also blessed the chariots and vehicles which will be later used in the upcoming Festivals.










3 comments:

Divya said...

Wonderful photos but I am confused - did you take them? If so how, there are only men in the pics! And it seems impossible because not a single person is looking at the camera - has India changed so much that there aren't big crowds all staring only at the camera and nothing else?? Haha!

Meenakshi Ammal said...

The person who took the photos is an official Temple photographer -- thus he is so well known to those in the snaps, that he is just about invisible.

The Temple nowadays is very strict about private photo taking, so most of the photographs of Temple functions etc are from an accredited official Temple photographer.

Yes there are always lots of men around for the official functions!

Divya said...

Thanks for the explanation - now it makes sense! Interesting also. I wonder how they control all the cell phone photos? I suppose if there are signs around and no one else is taking pics, that helps to control it.