Festivals

Skanda Sashti, the sixth day in the bright half of the month of Aippasi (Oct 15 - Nov 15), is celebrated in Saivite temples all over Tamilnadu, and with an extra measure of grandeur in temples dedicated to Subramanya. Skanda Sashti commemorates the destruction of evil by the Supreme General Kartikeya, son of Shiva.
Bhramotsavam - a Sri Vaishnava perspective: Most South Indian temples celebrate Bhramotsavam, a ten day long festival involving the procession of festival images on gaily decorated mounts. The significance of Bhramotsavam in SriVaishnava temples, and the daily events in the 9 day Bhramotsavam at Tirumala (Tirupati) are presented here.
Arudra Darisanam The pre-dawn hours of the full moon night, in the tamil month of Margazhi coinciding with the asterism of Tiruvadirai marks the auspicious time for Arudra Darisanam - of Nataraja in Saivite temples all over Tamilnadu. The 10 day festival (Margazhi Peruvizhaa) is described in detail in this feature.
Kartikai Peruvizha rishab1.jpg (69094 bytes)
The Arunachaleswarar Temple at Tiruvannamalai is one of the grandest in India. The Grand Kartikai Peruvizha,a complex festival involving a multitude of festivites and hundreds of thousands of participants happens with amazing regularity, each year - and can be described as a case study in operations management.
Kartikai Deepam - An image gallery deepweek_small.jpg (2470 bytes)
Experience the grandeur of the finale of the Kartikai Deepam festival at Tiruvannamalai, Tamilnadu.
Festivals at Tiruvannamalai: Experience the drama of the Tiruvoodal festival, Margazhi Tiruvadirai and yet another account of the Kartikai Peruvizha.
The Chittirai Tiruvizha at the Madurai temple attracts hundreds of thousands. It features spectacular processions and an enactment of Meenakshi Kalyanam.
Several festivals are celebrated throughout the year at Madurai, and many of them involve the enactment of legends surrounding the Madurai temple.