Worship of Divine Mother

The Parvathi Amman Utsavam Festival which has lasted for 10 days completes its cycle today August 9, 2013 on this day known as Poornam Natchatram. The Vallaikappu (Bangle) ceremony took place this afternoon in the Vallaikappu Mandapam in the Fifth Prakaram of Arunachaleswarar Temple. Later on the Fire Walking ceremony will commence in front of the Amman Temple. To view a schedule of the programme, check my earlier posting at this link here. 

Ladies at Vallaikappu Mandapam, ArunachaleswararTemple

Ladies worshipping Amman at Mandapam

Amman at Vallaikappu Mandapam

Teertham 2013 Aani Bramothsavam Festival

The below photographs were taken at the Ayyankulam Tank in front of the Arunagirinathar Temple a few minutes walk from Arunachaleswarar Temple. The idols are being bathed at the teertham on the tenth and last day of the 2013 Aani Bramothsavam Festival. 

To those unfamiliar with the very beautiful and recently restored Arunagirinathar Temple, I am posting additional photographs of the third oldest Shiva Temple at Arunachala. 

Arunachala Darshan from Arunagirinathar Temple. Raja Gopruam at right

An ancient Temple that has an intricate relationship with Arunachaleswarar Temple and the Hill. It is at this Temple that the last three days of Deepam Festival are celebrated when the Gods are taken on elaborately decorated floats onto the large tank. 

If you take time to walk around the perimeter of the Temple Tank, you will be rewarded with interesting and fascinating sights of a number of obscure but powerful shrines and Temples. The view also of Arunachala is quite sublime from most aspects around the Ayyankulam Tank.

Fascinating, ancient Arunagirinathar Temple

Navagraha Shrine at Arunagirinathar Temple

Arunagirinathar Temple has powerful sanctum sanctorums dedicated to Lord Shiva and the Goddess. It also has my favourite Navagraha Shrine at Tiruvannamalai, which includes a most ornate and beautiful representation of Lord Surya. 

Lord Surya with his Mounts

Powerful and Beautiful Navagraha statues

To read more about this Temple and Tank, go to this link here. And to explore the perimeter of the Ayyankulam Tank, go to this link here. 

Bharani Deepam 2011, Arunachala

Right click on all photographs to view enlargements


Preparations for this day begin one month in advance with the local administration, revenue department, police and temple authorities. Since early morning, temple staff and volunteers have been carrying five-gallon containers of ghee and large pots of thick, braided cloth wicks to the top of Arunachala mountain.

As you are reading this, town's people and pilgrims from far afield, are climbing Arunachala some in order to secure a good viewing point for the evening's lighting of the 2011 Deepam cauldron and others so that they can personally deliver their ghee offerings to top of Arunachala.

Just after the early morning temple ceremony, five earthern pots were lit. These ghee-filled pots, represent the sacred elements earth, air, fire, water and ether. As these five flames loom up with red-yellow light, the famous festival of Karthigai Deepam officially begins.

A single flame is then taken from the pots and kept burning in the Temple throughout the day as a symbol of the merging of manifestation back into God, the one source of all. This single flame is referred to as the Bharani Deepam.


Five Earthernware Pots














Significance

"There is immense significance in this ceremony called Bharani Deepam. At this time, the universal Lord manifests as the five elements, which will later fully merge to become one when the Krittika Deepam flame is lit in the evening. From one to many and many to one. This is the whole essence of Saivism and the meaning of Krittika Deepam."

Around 10:00 a.m. this Bharani morning, a group of fishermen were blessed by a priest in a ceremony at the Temple. Amidst ringing bells and temple music, the priest gave the fishermen a lamp that has been lit from the Bharani Deepam in the Temple. This lamp, also called Bharani Deepam, is currently being taken to the top of the Hill by fishermen from hereditary fishing families. Others of the same hereditary fishing family will remain at the Temple and this evening light the Deepam flame outside the Arunachaleswarar Siva Sannidhi.

One of the reasons that fishermen and not Brahmin priests are traditionally given the privilege of carrying the Bharani Deepam up the mountain and lighting the Krittika Deepam in the evening both on Arunachala and outside the Arunachaleswarar Siva Sannidhi, is because according to a myth, Parvati (the wife of Lord Siva) was born in a fishing family.

Bharani Deepam

The below photographs are taken of the 10th day of Karthigai Deepam Festival.

"The chief priest has just finished a simple ritual called Bharani Deepam and now ceremoniously waves a huge camphor flame in the direction of nearby Arunachala mountain. Although he is chanting Sanskrit slokas, he cannot be heard amidst the deafening furor of devotion that surrounds him. Finally, he touches the flame he is holding to the wicks of five huge, earthen, ghee-filled pots, representing the sacred elements earth, air, fire, water and ether. As these five flames loom up with red-yellow light, the famous, one-day, South Indian festival of Krittika Deepam officially begins."

"A flame taken from the five earthen pots that were lit just after the early morning temple ceremony of Bharani Deepam is kept burning in the Temple throughout the day as a symbol of the merging of manifestation back into God, the one source of all."

The priest under the umbrella is now holding the Bharani Deepam that will be transferred into a protected container and then brought up the mountain by the fishermen and used to light the huge Deepam Cauldron in the evening.