Sunday, September 10, 2017

Kapaleeshwarar Temple, Mylapore – Festivals

Kapaleeshwarar Temple, Mylapore – Festivals
During the Tamil month of Panguni, the traditional Brahmotsavam (annual festival) takes place when the entire neighborhood comes alive with a Mela (carnival)-like atmosphere. Since this month corresponds to the mid-March to mid-April duration, the Kapaleeshwarar temple celebrates the nine day-long as Panguni Peruvizha (Spring festival). The festival starts with Dwaja Rohanam (flag hoisting), includes Therottam, Arupathimoovar festival and concludes with the Thirukalyanam (Marriage of Kapaleeshwarar & Karpagambal).
In Brahmotsavam, the idols of Kapaleeshwarar and Karpagambal are decorated with clothes and jewels, are mounted on a vahana, and then taken around the temple and its water tank in a pradakshinam (a clockwise path when seen from above). This is repeated with different vahanas over the next nine days. The more important of the individual pradakshinams are the Adhikara Nandhi on the third day, the Rishaba Vahanam on the midnight of the fifth day, the ther (about 13 meters in height and pulled by people) on the seventh morning, and the Arupathimoovar festival on the eighth day.
The Arupathimoovar festival is the most important procession. It is named after the sixty-three Nayanmars who have attained salvation by their love & devotion to the all-compassionate Lord Shiva. All sixty-three Nayanmar idols follow the Kapaleeshwarar idol on this procession. During the car festival, Kapaleeshwarar is depicted holding a bow while seated on a throne, with his wife Karpagambal alongside. Brahma is depicted riding the ther. The chariot is decorated with flowers and statues, and there are huge gatherings of devotees to pull the ther. The car festival of 1968 is documented in the documentary film Phantom India by Louis Malle.
The temple's large water tank in front of the west gopuram is used to celebrate the Float Festival, which is held in January or February. Each Poornima-full moon day is a day of special pujas to Lord and Mother. As the divine Karpaga tree offers all wishes to a devotee, Mother Ambica offers all that her devotees wish, hence praised as Karpakambika. The devotee crowd in the temple is usually huge on New Moon and Full Moon days and Pradosha days. Some Shiva related festivals are observed in the temple each month.