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Karthigai Deepam at Thiruvannamalai

Karthigai Deepam at Thiruvannamalai Lord Arunachaleswarar temple is a festival which is celebrated mainly by Tamil Hindus which spans for 10 days. It is set to commence with the divine flag-hoisting ceremony on 04th December. The Karthigai Deepam festival ends on the 13th of December 2024, with the Bharani Deepam (Barani Deepam Festival) being lit at the temple around four o’clock in the early hours.The Bharani Deepam is lit inside the temple early in the morning, and later in the evening, the Maha Deepam is lit atop the Arunachala Hill, visible for miles around. The lighting of the Maha Deepam is a deeply spiritual moment, as devotees chant prayers, offer their devotion, and feel the presence of Lord Shiva's eternal light.

Main highlights of the 10 days festival includes Chandrasekharaswamy on a serpent vehicle, procession features Chandrasekharaswamy on a mirrored bull chariot, hosts a street procession of 63 Nayanmars in Chandrasekharaswamy’s silver chariot, Panchamurthys parading in Panchratha, Panchamurthys parading on horse carriages at night, Chandrasekharaswamy paraded on a male animal vehicle.

People wake up early in the morning and take a bath. They clean their house first and then make floral pattern Kolams which is made up with rice flour paste to welcome the deity. Lamps are lit in front of God.People light their home with clay diyas. Different patterns of lamps symbolic of mythological tales are used.

The earliest Hindu scripture states that the two great deities of Hindu culture Lord Vishnu and Lord Brahma started fighting among them regarding the superiority. They both thought each one was stronger than the other. To stop this huge fight, Lord Shiva came in front of them and tried to show his supremacy. He took the shape of a huge fire and challenged the two fighting Gods to find the end of the fire from the top and bottom. Lord Vishnu took the form of a boar and tried to reach the end of the fire beneath the earth. He failed miserably and came back to Lord Shiva saying that he was unable to find the end of the fire from the bottom. Lord Brahma on the other hand, took the shape of a swan and flew to find the beginning of the fire on the topside. But his search was also in vain and he was unable to find the top of the fire. Thus, Lord Shiva proved his supremacy over the two Gods and managed to stop the fight. Lord Shiva actually proved that he is the main God of the earth and there is no use in fighting among other Gods regarding their supremacy. He then appeared like hill shape on Thiruvannamalai region. In fact, the names Tiruvannamalai’ and `Arunachala’ denote “holy fire hill”. Later on the kings and famous personnel built a temple on the hill in commemoration of Lord Shiva. This festival is celebrated with great marvel in this particular place.