Today is the 7th day of the 2016 Arunachala Karthigai Deepam Festival and probably the most popular day of all the ceremonial processions of the 10-day Deepam Festival. It is the day of the giant Maharadham—which will be hauled by devotees all the way around the mada veedhis (perimeter streets) of Arunachaleswarar Temple.
This day all the panchamoorthies participate in the procession, each in their own wooden chariot. The first two chariots are those of Lord Vinayaka and Lord Murugan (with both his wives). Both of the chariots have already completed the circumambulation of the perimeter streets and have returned to their permanent spots on Car Street.
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| Alangaram of Lord Vinayaka |
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| Lord Vinayaka in his Wooden Chariot starting on His circumambulation of the Temple. He is the first of the five chariots. |
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| Lord Vinayaka in His Chariot will be pulled around the whole perimeter of the Temple by devotees |
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| The Chariot on the West Side of the Temple near the Pey Gopuram |
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| Lord Vinayaka in his chariot being pulled around the Temple perimeter. He has now reached Big Street (North Side) |
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| The second chariot on today's procession is that of Lord Murugan (with his two wives). Alangaram of Lord Murugan. |
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| Lord Murugan in his Chariot starting off on His circumambulation. Being pulled by devotees. Gents on the right. Ladies on the left. |
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| In the above photo, easy to see the two separate lines of devotees pulling the chariot |
You can tell Tiruvannamalai is a Temple town because up and down the main road through town the 5 huge chariots are permanently lined up on either side of the street. Their garage.
ReplyDeleteThank you for all these amazing photographs and information you are posting Meenakshi. Much appreciated. Just like being there in person.
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