"Every year the festival season in Tamil Nadu ends
with Karthigai Deepam, when homes are brightly lit with lamps that
are said to usher in prosperity."
"The oldest festival of Tamil Nadu and South
India, Karthigai Deepam has been mentioned and referred to in many
ancient works of Tamil literature such as 'Tolkappiyam' that dates
back to 2,000 or 2,500 BC, 'Jeevakachintamani', an epic written by
Jain poet, Thiruthakka Thevar, in the Sangam period, 'Karnarpadu',
'Kalavazhi Narpadu' dating around 1,000 BC and 'Pazhamozhi'. It
falls in the month of Karthigai when the star Krithigai is on the
ascendant according to the Tamil Calendar on a full moon day. It is
believed that Lord Muruga, the divine light of Lord Shiva, took his
form during this month. The ten-days festival is also known as 'the
Festival of Lights' and is said to be the extension of the Deepavali
festival of India. In some communities, people keep doubling the
number of lamps every day from the day of Deepavali till Karthigai
Deepam and thus the burning lamps present an enchanting spectacle
during the night.
People clean their houses and decorate them with 'Kolam' patterns on
the festive occasion. It is only after the 'Deeparathana' (worship
ritual) that the lamps are moved to all the parts of the house and
lit to create the dreamy look that enchants everyone. During this
festival, people also flock to the Annamali Hills (thus it also
known as Annamalai Deepam) to worship the Bharani Deepam, the huge
lamp that is lit early in the morning on the final day of the
festival in the sanctum sanctorum of the shrine. It is said that the
flame of the lame does not flicker on this day and reveals the form
of Lord Muruga, reaching up to the sky. The Deepam actually a
colossal circular metal vessel with a capacity to hold about 2,000
litres of ghee, a height of five and half feet and diameter of five
feet. The wick of the lamp itself is made up of 30m of 'Ghada' cloth
burnt using 2 kilos of camphor. It is claimed that on the night of
'Karthigai Pournami', when the lamp is lit it can be seen across an
area of 35km around the shrine." Courtesy
karthigai-deepam
