2015 Deepam Festival. Day Fourteen--Night: Chandikeswarar on Theepal

Last night was Day 14 of the 2015 Karthigai Deepam Festival. And it was the turn of Chandikeswarar on Theppal at the Ayyankulam Tank. 

The Mahadeepam on Arunachala was lit on November 25, and is expected to remain so for at least the next 10 days . . . so we still have wonderful darshan of the Hill with Beacon everynight -- even though the Festival Functions are now over. 

Chandikeswarar Theepal Alangaram

The steps at the left of the wall, are those upon which devotees sit to watch the Theepals on the Tank

Across from the tank, is Arunagirinathar Temple which is less known than other major Temples, but very special

2015 Deepam Festival. Day Thirteen--Night: Lord Subramaniyar on Theepal

The below photographs are of Lord Supramaniyar on Theepal at Ayyankulam Tank about a ten minute walk from Arunachaleswarar Temple. For four consecutive evenings the Gods are floated on the Tank in front of large crowds seated on the steps of the Theertham. The floats being used nowadays were made and used for the first time last year. 

Lord Supramaniyar

The Lord with his two wives on Ayyankulam Tank on their Float

Watching the Gods on their Floats for four consecutive evenings

2015 Deepam Festival. Day Twelve--Night: Amman on Theepal

The below photographs are of Amman on Theepal at Ayyankulam Tank about a ten minute walk from Arunachaleswarar Temple. For four consecutive evenings the Gods are floated on the Tank in front of large crowds seated on the steps of the Theertham. 

Amman Alangaram

Steps at Ayyankularm Tank

Taking darshan of the Goddess on Float

2015 Deepam Festival. Day 10--Afternoon: Countdown to 6 p.m. Mahadeepam

From early morning on the day of Mahadeepam (25th November, 2015), there was a rush of activity both on the streets surrounding the Temple and also in the Temple Compound. 

The below photographs are a pictorial record of the countdown to that time between day and the dusk; heralding the lighting of the Mahadeepam both in Arunachaleswarar Temple and on top of Arunachala. 

Thirumanjana Street

Thiruvoodal Street, bisecting Thirumanjana Street

Most of the devotees are at the start of their Hillround Girivalam

Crowds inside the Temple Compound

Preparing the Temple Deepam Cauldron

Devotees waiting outside the Sambanda Vinayagar Shrine

Cameramen and Reporters upstairs

Waiting for 6 p.m. and Mahadeepam

Panchamoorthies at the 16 Pillar Kaatchi Mandapm

The above video is of devotees inside the Arunachaleswarar Temple Compound, waiting patiently for dusk and the lighting of the Mahadeepam both in the Temple and a few moments later on the top of Arunachala. 

2015 Deepam Festival. Day Nine--Night: Ravana Vahanam Video

Due to a delay with Deepam Festival photographs I am now posting this additional pictorial record plus video of Day Nine—Night: Kailasha (Ravana) Vahanam. 

Vahanam before decoration

In an earlier posting of the Ravana Vahanam, at this link here, I talked about a legend associated with this King. Particularly relevant to this post is that the Tamil version states that imprisoned under Kailash, Ravana cut off one of his heads and built a veena from it. 

He used his tendons for the strings and began singing the praises of Siva which pleased the Lord so much that he bestowed a powerful linga to be worshipped by Ravana at Lanka. 

Ravana's head on the Veena

Lord Arunachaleswarar Alangaram

Ravana Vahanam at the Alankaram Mandapam. 

2015 Deepam Festival. Day Eleven--Night: Lord Chandrasekhara on Theepal

The last of the celebratory observances during Karthigai Festival is Thirthotsavam which literally means “water festival”. Four days are allocated at the end of Deepam to celebrate the water festival at Ayyankulam Tank in front of Arunagirinathar Temple (the third oldest Shiva Temple at Arunachala). The water festival is representative of the sadhaka’s plunge into the higher realms of consciousness – and typifies an entering into samadhi... an end of religious aspiration. 

Lord Chandrasekhara Alangaram

The Theepal for the Gods are floating structure made up of drums and timber and decorated with lights, flowers, religious paintings and silken buntings. Lights are installed around the perimeter of the tank and focus lights placed at strategic points. When the murtis of the Gods come to Ayyakulam Tank they are placed lovingly on a float and then the float pushes off and completes an allocated number of turns upon the Temple Tank. Devotees sit on the steps of the tank to take darshan of the God on the Theepal. Thereafter the deity of that day is taken in procession around the four Mada Streets (perimeter streets) surrounding Arunachaleswarar Temple. 

Preparing the gods on their Float

Ready to push over from the bank of the Theertham

Crowds sitting on the steps of the Tank

Many devotees who attend the Theepal ceremonies at Ayyankulam Tank, take the opportunity to visit the adjacent Arunagirinathar Temple, which is the third oldest and most significant Shiva Temple at Tiruvannamalai -- and for many visitors a great favourite. 

2015 Deepam Festival. Day Eleven--Day: Gods on Hillround

On the morning after the lighting of the Mahadeepam, the Gods perform girivalam of the Arunachala Hillround roadway. There are only two times the Gods perform such a girivalam; the first time in the calendar year is during the Thiruvoodal Festival, and the second time is during the Arunachala Karthigai Deepam Festival . . . always in the morning of the 11th day i.e. day after lighting of the Arunachala Mahadeepam. 

Panchamoorties going through the streets of Tiruvannamalai

The Gods constantly stop to receive their devotees and for aarti to be performed

The Panchamoorties are pulled around the 14km Girivalam roadway, stopping frequently

The idols stopping outside the gates of Ramanashram

2015 Deepam Festival. Day Ten—Bramhatheertham Theerthavari

Each day of the 10 day Deepam Festival the Sulam is carried with reverence and pomp through the mada veedhi (Temple perimeter streets) about an hour prior to the designated panchamoorthies procession of that morning and evening. 

During the daytime of the Mahadeepam day at Arunachaleswarar Temple, the Siva Sulam (representative the Lord’s Trident) traditionally is sanctified in the Braham Teertham through abshikeham and puja. 

Abhiskeham performed on morning of 10th Day of Deepam Festival

The Gods at base of Trisula

The three points of the Sulam (Trident) are said to represent the triads of; creation, maintenance and destruction, past, present and future and the three conditions (sattwa, rajas and tamas). When looked upon as a weapon of Lord Siva, the Trishula is said to destroy the three worlds: the physical world, the world of the past) and the world of the mind (representing the processes of sensing and acting).

At base of Trishula, Lord Siva and the Goddess on Rishaba (bull)

Immersion in the Brahma Teertham, Arunachaleswarar Temple

In the human body, the Trisula also represents the place where the three main nadi, or energy channels (ida, pingala and shushmana) meet at the brow. Shushmana, the central one, continues upward to the 7th chakra, or energy centre, while the other two end at the brow, where the 6th chakra is located. The Trishula's central point represents Shushmana, and thus is longer than the other two representing ida and pingala. 

2015 Deepam Festival. Day Ten--Night: Temple Mahadeepam Alangarams

The below photographs are of the Alangaram of the Panchamoorthies on the evening of the 10th Day of the 2015 Karthigai Deepam Festival. The Five Idols (as in all processions) are: Lord Ganesha, Lord Arunachaleswarar, Goddess Unnamulai, Subramaniyar and Chandideswarar. The sixth God is that of the form of Ardhanariswarar (half male, half female) which is only taken outside the 2nd Prakaram on the evening of Mahadeepam.

Lord Ganesha

Lord Arunachaleswarar

Goddess Unnamulaiyar

Lord Subramaniyar with his two wives

Chandiswarar

Ardhanariswara

2015 Deepam Festival. Day Ten—Late Night: Golden Rishaba

Late in the night of the 10th day of the 2015 Karthigai Deepam Festival, the Vahana for Lord Arunachaleswarar was the Golden Rishba (the golden bull). This was recently presented to the Temple by a devotee, at a cost of Rs.20 Lakhs. 

The 2015 Karthigai Deepam was the first time the new Golden Rishaba has been used. As is customary a puja was performed on the Rishaba previous to the Festival. 

Golden Rishaba before adornment

 

Golden Rishaba giving darshan on circumambulation

The Golden  Rishaba late on the 10th Day of Deepam Festival

Arunachala Karthigai Deepam November 25, 2015

Below are photographs taken of the Mahadeepam being lit on the top of Arunachala around 6 p.m. this evening, Thursday, November 25, 2015. 

2015 Arunachala Mahadeepam

2015 Arunachala Mahadeepam 

 

 

2015 Deepam Festival. Day Ten—Evening: Mahadeepam Arunachaleswarar Temple

Lord Arunachaleswarar Gives Darshan

Deepam in Temple precedes the Deepam on Arunachala by a few seconds

After Deepam is lit, Ardhaniswarar gives darshan to devotees at Temple

Packed Temple Crowd  with eyes on Deepam, in Temple and on Hill

2015 Arunachala Deepam

MahaDeepam 

[By Swami Abhisktananda 1970] 

"Towards five the singing stopped, as a procession emerged from the Kalyana Mandapam. It was the five murtis (Ganapati and Subramaniyar, the two sons of Shiva; the Bull Nandi, Shiva’s vehicle, Parvati, his consort; and finally Shiva himself) which were now coming attired in their most splendid garments and covered with flowers, to mix with the crowd so that they might have the darshan of the Holy Light. Immediately in front of the porch of the sanctuary stands a mandapam which was built in 1202 by Mangayarkarasi to provide a shelter for the Lords of the Temple during this annual function. The murtis passed through the crowd in their palanquins carried on the shoulders of the Brahmins. Once they were in their place, everyone’s attention was once more turned towards the Mountain and the chanting of mantras began again. 

The atmosphere became more and more tense. The sun had now disappeared behind the mountain, and the lengthening shadow of the mighty Linga of rock gradually spread across the sanctuary, the courtyards and the Gopurams. The great moment was drawing near for which everyone was waiting—the appearance of the Flame. Expectation filled every heart and showed on every face. It increased in harmony with the rhythm of the cosmos itself; as slowly beyond the horizon the moon rose into the sky, while in the depths of space the constellation of the Pleiades, of Krittika, appeared in the same direction. 

Suddenly there was the sound of an explosion, like a gunshot. Young Brahmin torch-bearers came running out of the inner sanctuary, brandishing their lighted torches at arm’s length. Priests offered the flame of the arati before the murti of Arunachala at its space under the mandapam. In front of the main gate a huge bronze cauldron, filled with oil, camphor and clarified butter, burst into a giant flame. 

And from the peak of the Mountain also, - on which all eyes had been fixed for the last full hour, not only in the Temple and the town, but in the whole countryside around to a distance of many leagues—the flame mounted up, manifesting both outwardly and in the heart of the faithful, the mystery of Light which from the beginning has at the same time hidden and revealed itself in Arunachala. 

That is all. The Flame has been seen. Joy and grace have filled all hearts. The crowd immediately begins to disperse, though it will be more than two hours before the Temple courts are completely empty. Each one as he leaves, goes to the bronze cauldron and casts into it his offering of camphor or of oil to be burnt up in the one great flame - a symbol of his own departure into the mystery of the Flame. 

Meanwhile the bearers up above begin their slow and difficult descent from the Mountain. They had climbed up early that morning in the first light of dawn, carrying jars of oil and clarified butter. The worthiest of their number were entrusted with bearing the sacred fire, taken from each of the Temple shrines, in order to light the Thibam flame. This had to be done at the very moment when, from their lofty observatory, they saw simultaneously the red sun disappearing in the west while the moon’s dish came over the horizon in the east. 

As soon as I left the Temple precincts amid the crow of faithful, I joined with many others in once more following the circular road round Arunachala . . . as I stepped into the cool air of the night . . . all the detailed features of the Mountain had disappeared. There was nothing to be seen but the sharp outline of its mystic triangle sketched against the sky. As the moon climbed majestically towards the zenith, it shed over it its silvery light, while all around was spread a mysterious shadow. 

The Mountain had become an immense lamp, from the top of which glittered the bright Fame. OM.”