Below are photographs of the cauldron that will be used for the 2012 Arunachala Mahadeepam. By the time the Festival is over and the Deepam flame is extinguished, the bright and beautiful cauldron will be blackened by soot and smoke.
The giant tub in front of the cauldron, is that which will be used inside the Temple near the flagstaff in front of the Siva Sannidhi. The giant tub, will also be filled with a ghee saturated wick, and then lit at around 6.02 p.m. (time of dusk) Tuesday evening. The fishermen at the top of the Hill will be looking down at the Temple compound and as soon as they are given the sign of the lit deepam down below, will then light the cauldron at the top of the Hill.
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| The Gents Painting the Cauldron |
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| Cauldron for the Hill, Tub for the Temple |
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| Just a small amount of the Ghee that will be used |
Early this morning there was a puja inside the Temple blessing the cauldron, and at which the Temple elephant and one of the cows from the Temple goshala, were present.
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| Blessings Abound |
Immediately after the Temple puja, the fishing family set off from Arunachaleswarar Temple with the precious Cauldron, on their way to the passage opposite the Temple which winds its way past Virupaksha and other Caves and onwards and upwards right to the Hill Summit.
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| Leaving the Temple on its journey upwards |
Already a huge amount of ghee, and cloth wicks have been carried to the top of the Hill in preparation for the lighting of the flame Tuesday evening.
From early morning tomorrow, it will be easy to see with the naked eye, hundreds of pilgrims climbing the Hill on their way to the top of Arunachala, in order to claim as close a vantage point as possible from which they can watch the lighting of the Deepam in the evening.
Many other pilgrims will be walking up the Hill tomorrow and throughout the period that the Deepam flame will be alight, in order to offer their ghee personally onto the flame.
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| Cauldron on the start of its journey to the Hill Summit |
