Karthigai Deepam कार्त्तिक दीपम्
Shiva · Partial fasting
Karthigai Deepam falls on the Pournami of the Tamil month Karthigai when the moon conjoins the Krittika nakshatra, observed across Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Sri Lanka. Legend recalls Shiva manifesting as an infinite jyotirlinga of fire at Tiruvannamalai, humbling Brahma and Vishnu who could not measure His ends; the Mahadeepam atop Arunachala Hill is lit at dusk and visible for miles. Homes glow with rows of agal vilakku (clay lamps) on verandahs and thresholds, while temples conduct Krittika abhisheka. The festival predates Diwali in Tamil tradition and is referenced in Tolkappiyam and Ahananuru Sangam literature.
Rituals (vidhi)
- 1.Lighting rows of agal vilakku clay lamps at dusk on doorsteps and tulsi-vrindavan
- 2.Witnessing or kindling the Mahadeepam cauldron atop Arunachala Hill at Tiruvannamalai
- 3.Performing Krittika nakshatra abhisheka to Shiva and Murugan lingas
- 4.Preparing pori urundai (puffed-rice jaggery balls) and nei appam as naivedyam
- 5.Girivalam pradakshina of the 14-km Arunachala hill circuit through the night
- 6.Reciting Arunachala Aksharamanamalai and Sri Rudram before the household lamp
Significance
Karthigai Deepam celebrates Shiva as the formless column of light (Arunachaleshwara) and is regarded by Tamil Shaivites as the most ancient festival of lamps. The phala-shruti promises liberation from the cycle of rebirth for devotees who witness the Mahadeepam with bhakti, and the kindling of household lamps is said to dispel inner tamas, attract Lakshmi-Saraswati, and protect lineage progeny from premature death. Lighting the deepam on this tithi is considered equal in merit to a thousand ordinary lamps offered on other days.
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