Vaikasi Visakam

Last updated

Vaikasi Visakam
Observed by Tamil Hindus
TypeHindu
SignificanceCommemoration of Murugan's birth
Celebrations abhishekam, kavadi
ObservancesPuja in Murugan temples
DateConfluence of Visaka star in the month of Vaikasi
2024 date23 May
2025 date9 June
FrequencyAnnual

Vaikasi Visakam is a Tamil Hindu festival. It falls on the day the moon transits the Visaka nakshatram in Vaikasi (May-June), the second month of the Tamil Calendar. [1] The festival is celebrated to commemorate the birth anniversary of Hindu god Murugan. [2]

Contents

Theology

According to the Kanda Puranam (the Tamil version of the Skanda Purana), three asuras (a race of celestial beings) Surapadman, Singamukhan and Tarakasuran performed austerities to propitiate the Hindu god Shiva. Shiva granted them various boons which gave them near-immortality and the ability to conquer the three worlds. [3] They subsequently started a reign of tyranny and oppressed the living beings including the devas and other people. The devas pleaded Shiva for his assistance to put an end to the reign of Surapadman and the asuras. In response, Shiva manifested five additional heads and a divine spark emerged from each of the six heads. [4] Initially, the wind-god Vayu carried the sparks, but the fire-god Agni took possession of them afterwards because of the unbearable heat. Agni deposited the sparks in the Ganga river. The water in the Ganga started evaporating due to intense heat, and so the goddess Ganga took them to the Saravana lake, where each of the sparks developed into a baby boy. [4] The six boys were raised by handmaidens known as the Kṛttikās and they were later fused into one by Parvati, thus giving rise to the six-headed Murugan. [5]

Practices

On the day of the festival, special pujas and abhishekam are performed. Worshipers visit Murugan temples and chant mantras. People are offered Panchamirtham as prasad and sweets and other alms are donated to the poor. [2] [1] The god is taken on a procession in chariots or special mounts. [6] [7] Devotees of Murugan carry a kavadi , which itself is a physical burden as a fulfillment of vow made to the god. [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thaipusam</span> Tamil Hindu festival

Thaipusam or Thaipoosam is a Tamil Hindu festival celebrated on the first full moon day of the Tamil month of Thai coinciding with Pusam star. The festival is celebrated to commemorate the victory of Hindu god Murugan over the demon Surapadman. During the battle, Murugan is believed to have wielded a vel, a divine spear granted by his mother, Parvati.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Subramaniya Swamy Temple, Tiruchendur</span> Temple in Tamil Nadu, India

The Subramaniya Swamy Temple, Tiruchendur is an ancient Hindu temple dedicated to Murugan (Kartikeya). It is second among six abodes of Murugan situated in Tamil Nadu, India. It is located in the eastern end of the town Tiruchendur in the district of Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu, India. It is 40 km from Thoothukudi, 60 km south-east of Tirunelveli and 75 km north-east of Kanyakumari. The temple complex is on the shores of Bay of Bengal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vayalur Murugan Temple</span> Hindu temple in Tamil Nadu, India

The Vayalur Murugan Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Muruga, son of Lord Shiva and Parvati, located in the village of Kumaravayalur in Tiruchirapalli district, Tamil Nadu, India. The temple is believed to have been initiated during the period of Medieval Cholas during the 9th century. The temple is maintained and administered by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department of the Government of Tamil Nadu. Though the presiding deity is Shiva, the temple is known for the Murugan shrine. The temple is associated with Hindu savant, Kirupanandha Variyar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vel</span> Divine spear in Hindu mythology

Vel is a divine spear associated with Murugan, the Hindu god of war.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Subramaniya Swamy Temple, Thiruparankundram</span> Hindu temple of the god Murugan in Thiruparankundram, India

Arulmigu Murugan Temple, Thiruparankundram is a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Murugan at Thiruparankundram, Tamilnadu, India. It is regarded as one of the "First Houses of Murugan". The temple uses rock-cut architecture and is believed to have been built by the Pandyas during the 6th century. According to legend, Murugan slayed the demon Surapadman and married his consort Devasena at the temple. Murugan is also said to have worshipped his father Shiva at the site as Parangirinathar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swaminatha Swamy Temple</span> Temple in Tamil Nadu, India

The Swaminatha Swamy Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to god Murugan. It is located in Swamimalai, 5 km from Kumbakonam, on the banks of a tributary of river Kaveri in Thanjavur District, 290 km from Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu, India. The temple is fourth abode of Murugan among six (Arupadaiveedugal). The shrine of the presiding deity, Swaminathaswamy is located atop a 60 ft (18 m) hillock and the shrine of his mother Meenakshi (Parvati) and father Shiva (Sundareswarar) is located downhill. The temple has three gopuram, three precincts and sixty steps and each one is named after the sixty Tamil years. The temple has six daily rituals at various times from 5:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., and three yearly festivals on its calendar. The annual Vaikasi Visagam festival is attended by thousands of devotees from far and near.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Śūrapadmā</span> Asura in Hinduism

Surapadma, Surapadman or Sooran is an asura featured in Hindu literature. He is the son of the sage Kashyapa and a shakti named Maya. He wages war against the devas by invading Devaloka with a massive army. He is defeated by Murugan, and according to Tamil tradition, turned into his vahana, the peacock. He is the brother of Tarakasura. His eldest son is Banukopan.

Alvai or Alvaay is a coastal village in Vadamaraadchi, northern Jaffna Peninsula, Sri Lanka. It is located 30 kilometers (19 mi) from the city of Jaffna or 5 kilometers (3.1 mi) from the town of Point Pedro.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thirumohoor Kalamegaperumal temple</span> Vishnu temple in Madurai

The Thirumohoor Kalamegaperumal Temple is a Hindu temple near Melur, Madurai district in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu, is dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu. Constructed in the Dravidian style of architecture, the temple is glorified in the Nalayira Divya Prabandham, the early medieval Tamil canon of the Alvar saints from the 6th–9th centuries CE. It is one of the 108 Divya Desams dedicated to Vishnu, who is worshipped as Kalamega Perumal and his consort Lakshmi as Mohanavalli Thayar. As per Hindu legend, the presiding deity is believed to have appeared as the divine enchantress Mohini to allure the asuras to support the devas, the celestial deities. The temple is also known as Mohanapuram and Mohanakshetram.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Devasena</span> Hindu goddess

Devasena is a Hindu goddess of aspiration, and the consort of the war god Kartikeya (Murugan). She is also known as Devayanai, Deivanai, and Deivayanai in Tamil texts. Her name is also spelled as Teyvanai or Tevayanai.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Erumbeeswarar Temple</span> Shiva temple in Tamil Nadu, India

Erumbeeswarar Temple in Thiruverumbur, Tamil Nadu, India, is a Hindu temple dedicated to the deity Shiva. Built on a 60-foot (18 m) tall hill, it is accessible via a flight of steps. The temple's main shrines and its two prakarams are on top of the hill, while a hall and the temple tank are located at the foothills. Shiva is believed to have transformed himself into an ant hill and tilted his head at this place to enable ants to climb up and worship him. Erumbeeswarar is revered in the canonical 7th-century Tamil Saiva work the Tevaram, written by Tamil saint poets known as nayanmars and classified as Paadal Petra Sthalam.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Six Abodes of Murugan</span> Six sacred temples of Hindu deity Murugan

The Six Abodes of Murugan are six temples situated in the state of Tamil Nadu in South India, dedicated to the Hindu deity Murugan. These six sacred abodes of Murugan are mentioned in Tamil Sangam literature, in the texts of Tirumurukāṟṟuppaṭai, written by Nakkīraṉãr, and in Tiruppukaḻ, written by Arunagirinathar. The six abodes are Thiruparankundram, Tiruchendur, Palani, Swamimalai, Tiruttani, and Pazhamudircholai.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kaumaram</span> Hindu denomination

Kaumaram is a Hindu denomination that primarily venerates the Hindu deity of war, Kartikeya, also known as Kumaran, Murugan, Arumugan, and Subrahmanyan. Devotees of Kumaran, called Kaumaras, also revere members of his family: Parvati, Shiva, and Ganesha, as well his consorts, Devasena and Sundaravalli, the daughters of Vishnu in Tamil tradition. The important theological texts relating to Kumara are a part of the Shaiva agama canon. This sub-tradition is found among the Tamils, Kannadigas, and the Vedda, in South India, Sri Lanka, and among the Tamil diaspora worldwide. The love story of Kumara/Murugan and his wife Valli, a girl from a local tribe, is popular in Tamil Nadu, where Kumara acquired the status of a national god.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kartikeya</span> Hindu god of victory and war

Kartikeya, also known as Skanda, Subrahmanya, Shanmukha and Murugan, among other names, is the Hindu god of war. He is generally described as the son of Shiva and Parvati and the brother of Ganesha.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Velanai Island</span> Island in Sri Lanka

Velanai Island, also known as Leiden in Dutch, is a small island off the coast of Jaffna Peninsula in the north of Sri Lanka. There are number of villages within the island, such as Allaipiddy, Mankumpan, Velanai, Saravanai, Puliyankoodal, Suruvil, Naranthanai and Karampon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cock flag</span> Flag of Hindu deity Kartikeya

The cock flag is the flag of the Hindu deity Kartikeya, also rendered Skanda, and Murugan in Tamil tradition. The deity Murugan is depicted with the divine spear vel in one hand and the cock flag in the other in his iconography.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kalugasalamoorthy temple</span> Hindu temple in Tamil Nadu, India

Kalugasalamoorthy Temple in Kalugumalai, a panchayat town in Thoothukudi district in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu, is dedicated to the Hindu god Murugan. Constructed in the Dravidian style of architecture, the temple is believed to have been expanded during the 18th century with the images excavated from Kalugumalai. The core temple has a rock-cut architecture exemplary of early Pandyan Art. The other portions of Kalugumalai houses the 8th century Kalugumalai Jain Beds and Vettuvan Koil, an unfinished Shiva temple.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atulya Nadheswarar Temple</span> Shiva temple in Tamil Nadu, India

Atulya Nadheswarar Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to the deity Shiva, located in Arakandanallur in Thirukoilur taluk, a town panchayat in Viluppuram district in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Shiva is worshipped as Atulya Nadheswarar, and is represented by the lingam. His consort Parvati is depicted as Azhagiya Ponnazhagi. The presiding deity is revered in the 7th century Tamil Saiva canonical work, the Tevaram, written by Tamil saint poets known as the Nayanars and classified as Paadal Petra Sthalam.

The Shashti Vrata is a Hindu observance. It is primarily observed by South Indian Hindus during the month of Ashvina, from the first day after the new moon until the sixth day. Adherents fast for six days continuously in order to receive the blessings of the deity Murugan. Shashti Vrata is also prescribed for the worship of Surya in some texts.

<i>Tamil Kadavul Murugan</i> Indian TV series or programme

Tamil Kadavul Murugan is a 2017 Tamil-language mythology soap opera based on the life of the Hindu deity Murugan. It started airing on 2 October 2017 on Vijay TV on every Monday to Friday replacing Bigg Boss Tamil. The show season 1 was ended with 104 episodes from 23 February 2018. Season 2 was aired from 5 May 2018 to 19 May 2018 only on Hotstar for 15 rpisodes.

References

  1. 1 2 Subodh Kant (2002). Indian Encyclopedia. Cosmo Publications. p. 7821. ISBN   978-8-177-55257-7.
  2. 1 2 "Vaikasi Visakam: Date, Time, Significance". The Times of India . Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  3. Dalal, Roshen. Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide. Penguin. p. 1190. ISBN   978-8-1847-5277-9.
  4. 1 2 Civarāman̲, Akilā (2006). Sri Kandha Puranam. Giri Trading. p. 55. ISBN   978-8-1795-0397-3.
  5. T.K.R, Sridharan (2022). God and Science. Notion Press. ISBN   979-8-887-04354-8.
  6. Sekar Venkataraman (2019). Temples of Forgotten Glory: A Wide Angle Exposition. p. 172. ISBN   978-1-645-87625-0.
  7. "Vaikasi Visakam celebrated with religious fervour". The Hindu . 12 June 2022. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  8. Vadivella Belle, Carl (2018). Thaipusam in Malaysia. ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute. p. 171, 217-219. ISBN   978-9-814-78666-9.