Saturday, April 1, 2017

Sathya Vageeswarar Temple, Kalakkad – Festivals

Sathya Vageeswarar Temple, Kalakkad – Festivals
The temple follows Saivite tradition. The temple priests perform the pooja (rituals) during festivals and on a daily basis. As at other Shiva temples of Tamilnadu, the priests belong to the Shaivite community, a Brahmin sub-caste. The temple rituals are performed four times a day: Kalasanthi at 8:30 a.m., Uchikalam at 11:30 p.m., Sayarakshai at 6:00 p.m., and Sayarakshai between 8:00  - 8:00 p.m. Each ritual has three steps: Alankaram (decoration), neivethanam (food offering) and Deepa aradanai (waving of lamps) for both Sathya Vageeswarar and Gomathi. There are weekly, monthly and fortnightly rituals performed in the temple.
The temple is open from 6am - 12 pm and 4-8:30 pm on all days except during new moon days when it is open the full day. The Vaikasi Visakam festival during the Tamil month of Vaikasi (May - June) being the most prominent. During the festival, the temple chariot is drawn around the streets of Kalakkad, with the festival images of Sathya Vageeswarar and Gomathi housed in it. Other festivals like Sivarathiri, Thirukalyanam (sacred marriage) and Kanthasasthi are also celebrated.