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Tiruvannamalai temple
Tiruvannamalai the home of
Arunachaleswarar, where Lord Shiva is worshipped in the form of a
lingam. The Consort here is Unnamulaiyaal, also known as Apitakuchambaal.
This is one of the largest temples in India.
One of the most important Shaivaite temples, Tiruvannamalai is also
the pancha bhootha sthalam of Agni (Fire). Shiva is said to have manifested himself in the form of a massive column of
fire.
Legend has it that once Brahma and Vishnu quarreled for ascertaining the superiority of one over the other. They went on fighting, when Lord Siva appeared between them in the form of a column of fire.
Simultaneously, a voice was heard from the heavens that they must stop fighting.
Trying to find out what the column of fire was, they tried in vain
to find out the beginning and the end of the fire.
Looking at the Lord
Shiva in the sanctum sanctorum is a veritable feast indeed.
One of the distinct features of this temple is that, everyday the Lord is adorned in different attires.
For example, on Fridays, the Lord is adorned in silver ornaments,
while on Sundays, He appears like a Maharaja.
At the Tiruvannamalai temple,
the day begins with the ceremonial arrival of the Ganga to the shrine, from a tank in the Southern part of the town on an elephant through the Southern, Tirumanjana Gopuram. This water cleanses the entrance to the second prakaram.
Next is the ritual of waking up the Lord and his Consort in their
bedchamber.
Apart from this, six other
poojas are offered at the temple. The first one is at 6 am, and the last one
is at night where the Shiva Meru and the image of Parvati are
brought in a procession to the bed chamber.
Festivals
In addition to the various festivals, Tiruvannamalai celebrates four annual Bhrammotsavams
which go on for a duration of 10 days. The most famous of them all is the
Kartikai
Bhrammotsavam.
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Annamalai deepam marks the conclusion of the ten day Bhrammotsavam in the month of Kartikai.
On each of these days, the five murthies of Annamalayar, Unnamulaiyaal,
Ganapati, Subramanyar and Chandikeswarar are brought in a procession in decorated mounts.
Noteworthy among these are the Rishabha Vahana Utsavam on the fifth evening of the festival and the
Rathotsavam, on the seventh day.
Before kartikai deepam, Bharani Deepam
is celebrated. A a lamp is lit in the main shrine of the temple. This is
followed by a fire sacrifice done in front of the shrine of Surya. A small bowl of ghee lighted at this fire is used to light five other lamps representing the five aspects of Shiva.
In the afternoon begin the
celebrations of Kartikai Deepam. A portion of this fire is kept inside a container of baked earth
and taken to the summit of the mountain. Here, a large copper utensil filled with offerings of ghee and pieces of cloth
is kept.
Meanwhile, four of the decorated
pancha murthies are brought out from the main shrine of the temple. They
are housed in Vimanams in the 3rd prakaram of the temple, facing the flag staff and the Annamalai Hill. The last to arrive is Annamalaiyar who comes out of the second prakaram, dancing with his consort.
The deepam is then brought out of the inner shrine
and taken towards the Utsavar Annamalayaar. The deepam is brought out in a gait by the bearers and a deeparadanai is offered to the Utsavar.
At the same moment, the lamp on the hill is lighted,
even as the crowd breaks into a frenzied cheer, chanting the Lord's
name. It is a belief of the people that the deepam is a form of Lord
Shiva himself.
With the arrival of the deepam
outside, the inner sanctum doors are closed and Annamalaiyaar is to be worshipped only as the beacon until the next morning when the shrine is reopened.
Tens of thousands of
devotees throng to this sthalam on the event of annamalai deepam.
Special buses and trains are run to Tiruvannamalai and back, to help the
devotees who want to catch a glimpse of the deepam on the auspicious
day.
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