Arunachala Gets Lit

Yet Another Festival of Lights — Karthigai Deepam

I’ll light a lamp for Lord Shiva and see what happens

Karthigai Deepam is celebrated during the evening in the Tamil month Karthigai — mid-November to mid-December — when the full Moon is in the star Krittika or Kirthigai. This star is also known as Alcyone, the brightest in Pleiades.

Outside my window, I see strings of colorful lights: red, green, blue on a house being built close by. At first light, I’m out for my morning walk and I stop to snap some photos.

As I’m going by, the group gathered at this new home for pooja ask me to join them for a photo. Kind of embarrassing — I don’t take any pains for my morning walk. But what the heck? Why not?

It happens now and then — Indians like to be photographed with foreigners. So after they’ve taken theirs, I hand them my phone and ask if they’ll snap one for me.

While I’m out, I see four other early morning gatherings: strings of colorful lights, banana plants gracing entryways, ghee lamps. Beautifully dressed women and children, men in freshly pressed shirts and dhotis or slacks.

I thought Deepavali was over.

I learn that Deepavali, the festival of lights, is over but ghee lamps are still being lit at the entrance to homes. Colorful lights are strung on new houses and people dressed in their finest gather at day break for pooja to bless these new homes. What is this?

There is one more festival of lights, a special one that takes place here in Tiruvannamalai. During Deepavali, the goddess Lakshmi is worshipped. Now it’s Lord Shiva’s turn. This festival is called Karthigai Deepam.

To understand this festival, one must understand that there are three main gods in Hindu mythology: Brahma, Vishnu, and Maheshwara who is also known as Shiva. Together they are a trimurthi, or trinity.

Brahma, who sits on a lotus, is the creator of everything in this world.

Vishnu protects everything in this world.

Shiva is the destroyer; he destroys the creation of Lord Brahma so that it can be born again.

Long ago, Lord Brahma was traveling around the universe. He came to the home of Lord Vishnu, who was sleeping. Lord Vishnu did not stir. He did not get up to receive nor to greet Lord Brahma, who was offended.

Lord Brahma became very angry, which must have roused Lord Vishnu. They argued. Then they fought over who was superior, which battle went on for days. This attracted the attention of other gods, who together tried to end the battle. But they could not.

The gods went to Lord Shiva for help. Lord Shiva sent 100 of his devotees to stop the battle between Lords Brahma and Vishnu. Still, the war raged on.

So Lord Shiva went to the battlefield. He saw that Lord Brahma was about to use his most powerful projectile weapon, the Brahamastra, which is capable of destroying all of creation, and Lord Vishnu was about to use his, the Narayanastra, which fires a volley of millions of missiles simultaneously, the intensity rising in proportion to the resistance of the target.

These were weapons so powerful, they could destroy all of the universe and everything contained therein.

In other words, lights out.

To stop the war, Lord Shiva turned himself into a pillar of fire. He stood between Brahma and Vishnu.

This fire rose to the stars and penetrated into the earth. No one could see where this flaming pillar started or ended.

Lord Shiva announced that whoever could find the beginning or the end of this inferno would be the supreme god of all gods.

Lord Brahma turned himself into a swan and flew up to see if he could find the uppermost reaches of the blaze.

Lord Vishnu turned himself into a boar and dug into the earth to search for the end of the fire.

Both Brahma and Vishnu traveled great distances but neither could find the beginning or the end.

They returned to Lord Shiva and conceded that Lord Shiva was the most powerful among them.

Shiva then turned himself into a hill — Arunachala Hill. Right here in Tiruvannamalai.

The day that Shiva turned into the hill was the day of the full moon in the month of Karticka, hence, the ghee lamps are lit during this month to commemorate this event.

Atop Arunachala, there’s the biggest ghee lamp of all: a gigantic copper cauldron that can hold 1,000 liters of ghee and several meters of cotton gada cloth to serve as a wick.

It is lit every evening at 6 pm for ten days, beginning with the evening of the full moon. In 2023, that is Sunday, November 26.

Rituals of Karthigai Deepam

On Karthigai Deepam, people clean their houses and decorate the doorstep with beautiful kolom also known as rangoli. Clay lamps of various sizes and patterns are lit around the house and on the kolom design to welcome the divine.

Special delicacies are prepared and offered to Lord Shiva during the pooja. People wear new clothes and visit family and friends.

This occasion is celebrated for ten days to revere Lord Shiva, who took the form of an infinite fire. Worshipping Shiva on this day can destroy your ego, pride, greed and delusion.

I rode my bike this past Sunday and in one small village, I stopped. Ahead, the road, the only thoroughfare that I was aware of, was blocked, tables set up and chairs, a canopy put overhead for shade. People in their Sunday best were about. I didn’t want to crash their party but how would I get through?

I looked around and saw a couple walking next to a house. I realized there was a lane on the other side of that house, so I pushed my bike up the incline and through the passageway and on the other side, a younger woman was outside washing her face.

She was as surprised to see me as I was to see her. But she smiled. I smiled back and continued pushing my bike to the lane. I turned left and joined that main road past the spot where all of the festivities were taking place.

And I’m thinking, hmm, maybe I’ll light a lamp for Shiva on Sunday and see if he’ll kindly destroy my ego, pride, greed and delusion.

Thanks for reading.

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