Grand Thirukkarthigai Deepam festival at Thiruvannamalai
Posted on: 10/Dec/2019 10:54:48 AM
The sacred Maha Deepam was lit at 6 PM (on Tuesday, 10th December 2019) at the mountain peak as the climax part of the grand Karthigai Deepam festival in progress at the Tiruvannamalai Lord Arunachaleswarar temple.
Lakhs of devotees participated on this grand occasion and prayed the Maha Deepam.
A large number of devotees have visited from the other places to have a Darshan of the Maha Deepam and pray. Thus, all the streets of Tiruvannamalai appeared to have been flooded with the teeming devotees!
During the evening, the adorned deities of the ‘Panchamurthys’ were carried on palanquins and placed in the Mandapam. At 5.59 PM, the deity of Ardhanareeswarar was taken out. Subsequently, ‘Aganda Deepam’ was lit in the Tiruvannamalai temple complex.
At the same time, ‘Maha Deepam’ was lighted on top of the mountain on the ‘copra’ (oil pot) kept ready filled with ghee.
Even as the Maha Deepam was lit, the swarm of devotees collected both inside and outside the temple complex rendered the sky with the devoted chanting of "Annamalaikku Arohara"with the ecstasy of devotion.
‘Annamalaiyarukku.. arohara!! Unnamulai Ammanukku.. Arohara!!’
‘Annamalaiyarukku.. arohara!! Unnamulai Ammanukku.. Arohara!!’
‘Annamalaiyarukku.. arohara!! Unnamulai Ammanukku.. Arohara!!’
Bharani Deepam
The grand ‘Thirukkarthigai Deepam’ festival in Thiruvannamalai temple commenced with the divine flag-hoisting ceremony on 1st December.
In the most important event of the festival, the lighting up of the Bharani Deepam was performed today (Tuesday, 10th December) early morning at 4.00 AM in front of the Sanctum Sanctorum of the main deity, Lord Arunachaleswarar.
Subsequently, at 6.00 PM in the evening, the grand event of the lighting up of the ‘Maha Deepam’ will be performed on top of the 2688’ high Thiruvannamalai mountain explaining the phenomenon of ‘Anegan, Egan’.
The large vessel used for lighting the Maha Deepam, known as ‘copra’ will be taken to the top of the mountain today.
Further, other important materials required for lighting up the Maha Deepam, such as 3500 kg of ghee (clarified butter) and a large wick made of the cotton ‘Gada’ cloth, etc., have been arranged and kept ready.
