Sunday, September 10, 2017

Kapaleeshwarar Temple, Mylapore – Religious Practices

Kapaleeshwarar Temple, Mylapore – Religious Practices
The temple priests perform the pooja (rituals) during festivals and on a daily basis. Like other Shiva temples of Tamil Nadu, the priests belong to the Shaivite community, a Brahmin sub-caste. The temple rituals are performed six times a day; Ushathkalam at 6:00 a.m., Kalasanthi at 9:00 a.m., Uchikalam at 1:00 p.m., Sayarakshai at 5:00 p.m., Irandamkalam at 7:00 p.m. and Ardha Jamam at 9:00 p.m. There is a separate calendar for the Rahu Abhishekam (sacred ablution): it is performed twice in a day at 11:30 a.m and 5:30 p.m. and additionally twice at various times in the day.
Each ritual comprises four steps: abishekam (sacred bath), Alangaram (decoration), neivethanam (food offering) and Deepa aradanai (waving of lamps) for both Kapaleeshwarar and Karpagambal. The worship is held amidst music with nagaswaram (pipe instrument) and tavil (percussion instrument), religious instructions in the Vedas (sacred text) read by priests and prostration by worshippers in front of the temple mast. There are weekly rituals like Somavaram and Sukravaram, fortnightly rituals like Pradosham and monthly festivals like Ammavasai (new moon day), Kiruthigai, Pournami (full moon day) and Sathurthi. 
During Friday worship, the statue of the goddess Karpagambal is decorated with a Kasu Malai, a garland made of gold coins. The famous Tamil hymns Karunai Deivame Karpagame and Karpagavalli Nin Porpadhangal Pidithen were written by poets in praise of the goddess Karpagambal. There is also a peacock and a peahen caged inside the temple, to symbolize the tradition that Karpagambal had come in the form of peahen to plead to Kapaleeshwarar.