2017 Mahakumbhabhishekam Arunachaleswarar Temple Update

Consecration of peripheral shrines (shrines of accompanying deities) in Sri Arunachaleswarar temple in Tiruvannamalai was held on Thursday February 2, 2017. 

The consecration of the Sri Arunachaleswarar Shrine will occur on February 6 but rituals began on the last week of January. On January 31, the 12 kala homam began in the 108 Yaga Kundams set up in a yagasalai complex inside the temple. 

The pots containing holy water placed by the homa kundams, the holy fire to make offerings, were taken in procession by priests to the shrines such as Kambathilayanar Sannidi, a shrine of Lord Muruga, Pathala Lingam, Gopurathilaiyanar Sannidi and Sambandha Vinayagar Sannidi. The priests then poured the holy water from the Vimanams of the shrines to perform consecration. 

Temple Priests in procession through Tiruvannamalai

View from the Raja Gopuram, Big Temple

Mahakumbhabhishekam Arunachaleswarar Temple: Day—Thursday, February 2, 2017

The schedule for Thursday, February 2 of the Mahakumbhabhishekam Programme is as below:- 

5 a.m. Parivara Yagasala Puja 

8.05 a.m. Kala Yaga Puja. Purnaharti Deeparadhana. 

9-10.30 a.m. Parivara Devathas Kumbhabhishekam. 

The photographs below are of the kumbhabhishekam of several shrines in the 5th Prakaram of Arunachaleswarar Temple—including the Sarva Siddhi Shrine and  Periyar Nandi Shrine.

Broadcasting Preparations underway for 2017 Arunachaleswarar Temple Mahakumbhabhishekam

The erection of scaffolding (in order to facilitate the priests consecrating Shrines and Vimanas with sanctified water) at Arunachaleswarar Temple is complete. 

Proceedings on February 6, 2017 will be broadcast on 20 large LED screens both in the Temple and in strategic spots around Tiruvannamalai. In this respect technicians have been busy setting up their camera and sound equipment around the Temple compound.

As soon as the broadcasting schedule is announced will post details on Arunachala Grace. 

Mahakumbhabhishekam Arunachaleswarar Temple: Evening—Wednesday February 1, 2017

The programme for Wednesday, February 1 of the Mahakumbhabhishekam Festival is as below:- 

Wednesday Evening 4.30 p.m. 3rd Kala Yaga puja. Purnaharti Deeparadhana. 

Mahakumbhabhishekam Arunachaleswarar Temple: Day—Wednesday February 1, 2017

The programme for Wednesday, February 1 of the Mahakumbhabhishekam Festival is as below:- 

Wednesday. 2nd Kala Yaga puja. Purnaharti Deeparadhana. 

Mahakumbhabhishekam Arunachaleswarar Temple: Tuesday January 31, 2017

The programme for Tuesday, January 31 of the Mahakumbhabhishekam Festival is as below:- 

January 31, 2017—Tuesday Morning: 8.30 a.m. Shanti Homam. Agni Homam. Theerthavari for moorthies. Ashtabundanam. Purnaharti Homam. Deeparadhana. 

January 31, 2017—Tuesday evening: 5 p.m. Kumbha Alangaram Yartra Homam, Yatra Dhanam. Yagasalai Pravesum. 1st Kala Yaga puja. Purnaharti Deeparadhana. 

Arunachaleswarar Mahakumbhabhishekam: Vastu Shanti Homam—January 29, 2017

On Sunday (evening) of 29th January, 2017 Vastu Shanti Homam was conducted at Arunachaleswarar Temple.

Homam is the offering of different types of poojas to various deities for fulfillment of wishes by welcoming the power of Agni, The Fire of God. These are performed to bring peace, prosperity and success. The Vastu Homam was performed as a ritual dedicated to the direction gods. They are namely, Indra (east), Agni (south-east), Yama (south), Pitru (south-west), Varuna (west), Vayu (north-west), Kuber (North) and Brahma (center).

“Vastu Homam is a traditional Hindu system of design based on directional alignments. The Vastu Purusha Mandala is a part of vastu shastra and constitutes the mathematical and diagrammatic basis for generating design. It is the metaphysical plan that incorporates the course of the heavenly bodies and supernatural forces. Purusha refers to energy, power, soul or cosmic man. Mandala is the generic name for any plan or chart which symbolically represents the cosmos”.

In Hindu cosmology the surface of the earth is represented as a square. The earth is represented as four-cornered in reference to the horizon’s relationship with sunrise and sunset, the North and South direction.

It is always protected by all main four deities of the four directions as follows:-

1) Lord Indra (King of Gods) East

2) Lord Varuna (God of Rain, water) West

3) Lord Kubera (God of Wealth) North

4) Lord Yama (God of Death) South

As well as making regular postings on Arunachala Grace of the 2017 Arunachaleswarar Temple Mahakumbhabhishekam, I will also be uploading a  fuller report with additional photographs, concentrating on more particular and esoteric information informing about specific Homams conducted throughout this time. 

In the meantime readers might like to visit my website Arunachala Samudra at this link here to read sections on: Sacred Architecture—Narrative, Sacred Architecture—Practice, Sacred Geometry and Tamil Nadu Temples. 

Arunachaleswarar Mahakumbhabhishekam: Homam—January 29, 2017

On Sunday (in the day) 29th January, 2017—the homams conducted at Arunachaleswarar Temple were Srimoorthi Homam, Skanda Homam, Purnahuti and Deeparadhana. [Purnahuti means, "The complete offering away of oneself". It includes the offering of nine types of grains, into the fire while chanting specific mantras]. 

Mahakumbhabhishekam Update

Mahakumbhabhishekam is to be held at Arunachaleswarar Temple on February 6. Renovation work began in 2015. More recently a crack found in the stone beam of the base of the 217 foot high Rajagopura (and other minor cracks found in the gopura) were fixed using anchor assemblies. 

Traditional ash colour paint was applied on all nine gopuram of the Temple. 

A pundal has been erected to house 108 yaga kundams meant to perform 12 kala homams which will begin on January 31, 2017. 

Rituals for the Mahakumbhabhishekam of Sri Arunachaleswarar Temple began with Ganapathi homam on Saturday, 28th January, 2017. 

Sprinklers have been set up to spray consecrated water on devotees during Mahakumbhabhishekam. Around 20 huge LED screens have been placed inside The temple and in important places of the town, including bus stand, to broadcast live streaming of the Mahakumbhabhishekam ritual. 

Below are photographs of shrines and gopuras at Arunachaleswarar Temple upon which scaffolding has been erected in order to facilitate the sprinkling of consecrated water on February 6, 2017 Mahakumbhabhishekam. 

And a photograph of some of the very nice illuminations that have been created at Arunachaleswarar Temple for this occasion.