Festival Time!

Walking around Arunachaleswarar Temple and Tiruvannamalai yesterday morning after the "Hoisting of the Flag", its easy to see we are in Festival Mode. Groups of Brahmin Priests chant the Vedas in the Temple compound, Community Sangams recite Sundarar's Thevaram outside the Kalyana Mandapam, collections of lamps and lights lay in large mounds at the back of the Third Prakaram, newly crafted wooden chocs stacked against the walls awaiting pick up for use by processional Chariots. 

Rukku the Star-turn of Arunachaleswarar Temple happily joining processions around the Mada Veedhis (Temple perimeter streets) . . . and everywhere you look, musicians playing both Indian traditional and Western musical instruments. 

Its going to be a busy, happy Festival.

Brahamin Priests chanting the Vedas

Priests in 3rd Prakaram will be chanting through the day

Community Sangam group reciting Sundarar's Thevaram

Wooden chocs stacked by wall ready for use by processional chariots

Mounds of different style lamps for night processions awaiting use

This type of lamp to be carried for night processions

So many lamps!

Beautiful Rukku on Festival duty -- so loves going out and about

Musicians attending all functions and processions both in the Temple and in Tiruvannamalai Township

Making Sure it All Works

During Festivals, there is even more work and maintenance (both inside and outside the Temple Compound) to ensure a well run, successful function. 

The below photographs are of preparations and maintenance during this 2015 Arunachala Karthigai Deepam Festival. The first three photographs are from outside the main east Raja Gopura Temple Gate, the rest of the photos are from inside the Arunachaleswarar Compound. 

Garlands, Coconuts and Puja Implements for Devotees to purchase

Many Shops and Stalls with a proliferation of Deepam Lamps

Clay Lamps used around Houses, Gates and streets

Some Garlands are made inside the Temple Compound

Making Garlands

Making Garlands, a day long enterprise

"Stops" to secure the wheels of tractors pulling Vahanas

Throughout Temple Compound, Lamps for use during Night Processions

Holders for Powerful Gas Lamps

Gas Lamps

Preparing Lamps for Night Processions

Master Craftsman repairing a Tabala (drum)

Festival of Lights

The streets surrounding Arunachaleswarar Temple are full of shops and street stalls selling lamps of every description in time for lighting this evening celebrating Karthigai Deepam. 

Karthigai Deepam 2011

Between now and Deepam, I hope to post various narratives explaining the relevance of Karthigai Deepam and how it is celebrated at Arunachala, and at other places. I will also post information and articles, on deepams, and saints associated with lights and lamps.

Karthigai Deepam is believed to be one of the oldest festivals celebrated in Tamil Nadu, previous even to the Festivals of Deepavali and Navarathri. Reference of Karthigai Deepam can be found in such ancient Tamil literature as ‘Ahananuru’, (2,000 BC), 'Jeevakachintamani', written by the Jain poet Thiruthakka Thevar (Sangam period), 'Kalavazhi Narpadu' (1,000 BC) with mention of the festival made in the works of the poetess Avaiyyar.

Karthigai Deepam is also called the festival of lights and nowadays is observed as an extension of Deepavali festival with many families doubling the number of lamps at their home, every day from the day of Deepavali until the day of Karthigai Deepam. Like Deepavali, there is general practice of cleaning homes and decking up houses beautifully with stunning illuminations and multihued 'Kolams' or Rangoli.

In Kerala, this festival is known as Trikartika or Kartika Vilaku and is held in the month of Vrichikam (November – December). Lighting traditional oil lamps in the evening after sunset (during twilight period) is the main event on the day. Karthigai Deepam is also observed as Vishnu Deepam in Tamil Nadu and is an auspicious day for Vaishanvites.

Karthigai is essentially a festival of lamps. The lighted lamp is considered an auspicious symbol and believed to ward off evil forces and usher in prosperity and joy. It occurs on the day when the moon is in conjunction with the constellation Karthigai (Pleiades). The constellation which appears as a group of six stars in the shape of a pendant, is considered in mythology as the six celestial nymphs who reared the six babies at the saravana tank which later were joined together to form the six faced Muruga. Muruga is therefore also known as Karthikeya (i.e. the one brought up by the Karthigai nymphs).

Karthigai Deepam is celebrated in a special manner at Arunachala. At which legend goes, Lord Shiva asked the Lords; Brahma Vishnu to find out the extent of His form, which they are unable to do. Subsequently Lord Shiva takes the form of a jyothi (light of fire) on Arunachala Hill.

At Arunachala, Karthigai Deepam celebrations begin with the flag hoisting on the Uttradam day and continue to the early morning of Bharani Deepam, when five ’agantams’ are lit at Arunachaleswarar Sannithi in the early morning hours of the tenth day with the lighting of Mahadeepam occuring at dusk on top of Arunachala. To view a programme of the festivities of 2011 Karthigai Deepam at Arunachala, go to this link here.







The Deepam on top of the Hill, is lit in a huge metal cauldron with a capacity to hold about 2,000 liters of ghee. The cauldron stands at a height of five and half feet. The wick of the lamp itself is made up of 30 metres of khadi cloth burnt using 2 kilos of camphor. It is claimed that on the night of Karthigai Deepam, when the lamp is lit, the illumination can be seen for 35 km from the Hill.

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.