Karthigai Deepam Panthakal Function: Friday, November 19, 2021

 

Karthigai Deepam (which is also known as Karthigai Brahmotsavam Festival) will be celebrated this year at Arunachala on Friday, November 19, 2021. This grand festival is inaugurated two months previously with an event of the planting of the Panthakal pole. In 2021 this occurred on Thursday, September 16, 2021.

 

The Panthakal pole was kept near the shrine of Lord Sambandha Vinayagar where Abhishekham was performed. The panthakal was then dressed with a special cloth and garlands and planted near the front of the Raja Gopuram, the principal eastern doorway of Arunachaleswarar Temple Compound.

 

As well as blessing the front of the Temple—outside the Raja Gopuram, priests also blessed the newly renovated Maharadham chariot and other vehicles which will be used during processions in the upcoming 2021 Karthigai Deepam Festival. 

 

The below photographs are of the Panthakal Function which was performed on Thursday, September 16, 2021 at Arunachaleswarar Temple to mark the official beginning of the rituals and ceremonies preceding the Karthigai Festival (Mahadeepam is Friday, November 19, 2021). 

 

Ardhanarishvara—Arunachaleswarar Temple: November 29, 2020

 
 

Significance of Ardhanarishvara

There are many subtleties and esoteric meanings connected with the mythology and legends of Arunachala. One of the most famous being that of Ardhanarishvara—a form of the Divine which is particularly celebrated at Arunachala and not more so than during the festival of Deepam.

"At the mystic hour of dusk when devotees have gathered in the courtyards and roofs of the Temple, the deity Ardhanarishvara is brought out and placed on the stairs of the Temple close to the big Deepam. This is the only day of the year that this particular Deity is ever moved. It is most auspicious.

In the Deepam Festival the union of Shiva and Parvati in the form of Ardhanarishvara is reflected. Once the Goddess in play covered the eyes of Lord Shiva with her hands, and thus the whole world was plunged into darkness. However, Shiva opened his third eye on the request of the Gods, and light was restored.

Goddess Parvati was ashamed of her behaviour, and retired from Mount Kailasa to Kanchipuram to do penance and purge herself of her sin. Shiva then directed her to go to Tiruvannamalai to worship him there. Parvati became an anchorite and did severe penance and performed girivalam around Arunachala with deep concentration on the holy name of the Lord.

Shiva was pleased and told Her that she was now relieved of the sin of causing the untimely pralaya (destruction of the world). He blessed Her saying, 'Come and unite with me,' and disappeared into the Hill.

On Kartikeya day the Lord appeared as a blazing light, a jyoti on the top of Arunachala and asked Parvati to circumambulate the hill. She did so, and when she rounded the western side of the hill, Shiva appeared on his white bull and blessed her. When she rounded the hill on the north-western side he absorbed her into the left half of his body. Thus came into being the form of Ardhanarishvara, the deity that is represented as half male and half female."

 

 

 

3 Celebratory Days pre-Deepam Festival, 2020

 

There are three celebratory days before the start of the 10 Day Deepam Festival. 

On the first of these three days, Durga Amman is worshipped at the Durga Amman Temple. 

On the second day the Goddess Pidari is worshipped at the 3rd Prakaram, Arunachaleswarar Temple. 

On the third day Lord Ganesha is worshipped at the 3rd Prakaram, Arunachaleswarar Temple. 

This year a very limited version of the Deepam Festival is being observed at Tiruvannamalai. I am receiving photographs of the various functions, but plan to post only the more natural ones that do not show devotees wearing masks. In this respect devotees carrying the Gods on palanquins are all wearing masks.

However priests performing Ursavam on the Gods and accompanying them upon processional chariots around the Temple Compound are not wearing masks. 

 

Durgai Amman Alangaram, 2020 Deepam Festival

 

Pidari Amman Alangaram, 2020 Deepam Festival

Lord Vinayakar Alangaram, 2020 Deepam Festival

Lord Vinayakar procession Temple compound, 2020 Deepam Festival

There is an excellent write up and explanation of the above  functions held on the three consecutive days prior to the commencement of the 10-day Deepam Festival, at this link here.

2014 Deepam at Yogi Ramsuratkumar Ashram

The bottom photographs are of the very nice Deepam display created by Yogi Ramsuratkumar Ashram. The flame on their own Arunachala hill was lit every evening from December 5 until last night December 15 -- coinciding with the 11 days of Deepam on top of Arunachala. 

During the 2014 Navaratri this Ashram also put on a wonderful Kolu (doll) display which you can view at this link here.

Mandir at Ashram

Display with 3 peaks

Arunachala with Shiva, Parvati, Temple (Yogi Ramsuratkumar front)

First Peak: left Dakshinamurti and right Lord Karthikeya

Third Peak: left Lord Ganesha and centre Yogi Ramsuratkumar

Flame lit at dusk for 11 days coinciding with Arunachala Deepam

Flame at Yogi Ramsuratkumar Ashram front of Arunachala Deepam

Bharani Deepam 2012

The below photographs are of 2012 Bharani Deepam performed at the Arunachaleswarar Temple, Tiruvannamalai. 

"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 Dipam 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." 

 Right click on below photographs to view enlargements

Karthigai Tiruvannamalai Special Trains, Buses

SPECIAL TRAINS TO TIRUVANNAMALAI

To get information of unreserved special trains to Tiruvannamalai to clear the extra rush for “Karthigai Deepam” festival go to this link here. 

Special buses to Tiruvannamalai

The Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (Madurai Region) has proposed to operate special buses to Tiruvannamalai on November 27 and 28 for the benefit of devotees to offer darshan on Thirukarthikai and Pournami from Madurai, Theni, Dindigul and Virudhunagar respectively.

According to a press release, apart from regular and special service, the Corporation would ply buses on “contract” basis to public who were willing to book the seats in bulk and in advance.

Depending on the need, the officials at the Commercial wing would work out modalities and arrange for the trips to suit their timings.

The public can contact deputy manager (commercial, Madurai) at 94875 99022, for Dindigul and Theni they can contact 94875 99103 and for Virudhunagar at 94875 99133.

 

Deepam and Ramana Maharshi

One Deepam Day a disciple wrote the following and laid it at the Feet of Sri Bhagavan with the request that he should write another verse showing the significance of the Beacon that is yearly lighted on the top of Arunachala.

SELF is the centre, e’en the Heart it is
That thus reveals itself, while intellect
And ego both bewail.
This the true meaning of Annamalai,
Amidst Brahma and Vishnu blazing bright,
Who languish because they don’t know the way
To realize Him.

The Hill Arunachala is identified with the spiritual heart of creation of God. This appeared to the Gods, Brahma and Vishnu as a blazing column of fire. They wondered what it could be and started in competition with each other to find out its source. Brahma flew up as a swan and Vishnu started to burrow down in the form of a boar. But the search was endless. Vishnu came up again admitting his defeat. On his way Brahma caught a flower that was falling and taking it down to Vishnu pretended that he had reached the top and had there picked this flower. Suddenly Lord Siva, who had taken the form of the column of fire, appeared to them. He condemned Brahma for his deceit and said that as a punishment he should have no temple dedicated to his honour. As a reward for his honesty Vishnu was told that he should receive universal worship.

Striving to reach the end of the column of fire signifies the search in the Heart for the realization of the Self and all the difficulties thus entailed.

Bhagavan said in explanation that the ‘I’-sense was Vishnu and the intellect Brahma, they both turned outward and that is where they failed.

The Significance of the Beacon

Sri Bhagavan wrote: -

To make the intellect rid of the sense
‘I am the body’, and to introspect
By fixing it securely in the Heart,
And so perceive the true light of the SELF,
The one ‘I-I’, which is the ABSOLUTE,
This the significance of witnessing
The Beacon Light of Arunachala,
The centre of the earth.

Bhagavan used to declare that Arunachala was the spiritual axis of the earth. So definite was he that he once made someone get an atlas and see if there was not some other mountain, the other end of the axis, corresponding to this Hill on the other side of the world.

Other Beacons

My favourite part of the movie trilogy, ‘The Lord of the Rings,’ is the lighting of the beacon on the mountain which starts the lighting of a series of seven mountain beacons calling for help in the upcoming battle. When the beacon is lit, Gandalf say, ‘Hope is kindled.’

Its impossible for me to see the below excerpt from the film, without immediately thinking of Arunachala and Karthigai Deepam.







A beacon is an intentionally conspicuous device designed to attract attention to a specific location, and in the case of Karthigai Deepam, the beacon on top of Arunachala, is also used to observe and celebrate a vast amount of mythology associated with the Hill. One could also say that the Deepam, also serves as a metaphor of guidance in our own spiritual quest.

2008 Karthigai Deepam – South India

Karthigai Deeepam, or Karthika Deepam, is the festival of lights in Tamil Nadu and Kerala. In Tamil Nadu, it is observed on the full moon day in the month of Karthigai (November-December). In Kerala, the festival is known as Trikartika or Kartika Vilaku and is held in the month of Vrichikam (November – December).

This year December 11th is the day for the lighting of traditional oil lamps at dusk (approximately 6.05 p.m.). Karthigai Deeepam is also known as Bharani Deepam and Vishnu Deepam in Tamil Nadu and is an auspicious day for both Shaivites and Vaishanvites. Click here to read more

The Festival of Light -- Arunachala

“Deepam is a Hindu religious festival which merges myth and sacred time with the ordinary temporal flow since the distinction between myth and reality’ does not exist in India where even the passage of time is illusory.

The sacred mountain Arunachala was worshipped long before the Vedic culture penetrated into the southern Indian peninsular millennia ago. In the south Lord Siva became the notion of significance and Arunachala became the embodiment of Lord Siva. Kailash Mountain of Tibet is his abode where he meditates, but Arunachala Mountain is Siva Himself.

It was in comparatively recent history that the Vedic Divine personalities evolved on the subcontinent; they up-staged the primeval pantheon of elemental divinities worshipped since time before mind: Fire, Water, Space, Air, Earth. Sacred places associated with these most ancient divinities lie in the South. Arunachala is The Fire Place.




However it is not Fire that is of primary significance but Light: an invisible column of light signifying the Enlightenment that those embodied in human form have the capacity to realize. Realisation confers freedom from the bondage of identity with form, both physical and mental. The light of the Deepam flame reminds us of this. Deepam means Light.

The original myth is that aeons ago the gods Brahma and Vishnu challenged one another, each claimed to be able to reach the end of the universe. Lord Brahma (the Creator) headed up in the form of a swan, and Lord Vishnu (the Preserver) headed down as a Boar. Neither was successful in their task. Lord Siva (the Destroyer of Ignorance) pronounced the justice of this situation: that no embodied being has precedence over any other; that only what is prior to consciousness is real. What is real is quality-less. It is eternal, unequivocal throughout all dimensions of all worlds. Lord Siva showed himself as this eternal principal in the form of an endless column of Light invisible to mortal eyes. He named it Arunachala. This was given visible form as a Mountain, an icon for what is beyond form, fondly referred to by locals as ‘the Holy Hillock’.”

[Apeetha Arunagiri]

Karthigai Lamps

Lamps are of varied sizes, shapes and colours. Traditionally, lamps are lit in temples and agal vilakkus adorn the thinnais of houses. Bigger lamps made of mud; stone and metal are lit inside homes. The ancient Tamils are said to have even imported lamps from as far as Greece and Rome, through the ports of Arikamedu (near Puducherry), Mallai or Mamallapuram and Mylai or Mylapore (part of present-day Chennai). One such imported lamp was of the hanging variety, designed in the shape of a swan with a fish placed at the top.

Another variety of lamp, common in Tamil Nadu from early times was the Lakshmi Vilakku or Pavai Vilakku. It was shaped like a woman (bearing in her folded palms), the shallow bowl containing oil for lighting the lamp.

At Arikamedu, archaeologists have unearthed a flat circular clay lamp with four nozzles or petals or openings for four wicks. Another clay lamp discovered at this site has 12 nozzles.

The ubiquitous five-nozzle kuthu vilakku has been in use from the days of the Cholas or perhaps even earlier. When the British East India Company began to rule parts of South India, it featured the petals or nozzles of the kuthu vilakku on some of the coins that were minted. The five petals or nozzles are also said to denote the five main elements are supposed to represent the five elements of Nature — earth, water, fire, air and sky or space. The five nozzles are also said to denote the five main elements needed for a successful life — health, wealth, learning, courage and longevity.

Silver Kuthuvilakkus

The three Gods Bramha, Vishnu and Shiva are believed to be present in the Vilakku. At the base part is Bramha,the middle part Vishnu and the broad part on top is Shiva

The Glow of the vilakku is represented as Goddess Lakshmi,the Light by Goddess Saraswati and the Heat by Goddess Parvati.

Vilakkupic

The five wicks in the kuthuvilakku represents our five senses and also the Panchaboothangal: 5 elements of the World; Earth, Water, Air, Sky and FireTraditionally, after Karthigai, most of these lamps, except for those in daily use, were cleaned and stacked away, and taken out only the next year for the festival. In the old, tiled-roof houses, agal vilakkus were invariably stacked in the loft beneath the roof.