Aum Namah Shivaya.....
In Southern India, festivals in praise of the Lord are celebrated and vratas as penance are observed in far greater numbers than in other parts of the country.
People are generally more pious, conduct daily pujas and go to temples almost every day. Every village has a temple and even big cities abound hundreds of temples. Ganesha temples (more popularly known as ‘Pillaiyar koil’ can be seen at every street corner. One could see people lining up to visit temples morning and evening with ‘Thiruneeru’ (Vibhuti) or ‘Thiru churnams’ (namams) on their foreheads. They observe all religious festivals, big or small. One such festival is Vaikasi Visakam.
Muruga, for example, is not as well known in the north. He is typically a Tamil God! In some parts he is known as Karthikeya, the second son of Lord Siva. But in the south, almost every one visits Murugan temples as often as they go to Ganesha temples. These two Gods are the most popular and are worshipped with lot of veneration and ‘bakti’. People, men and women, take ‘Vibhuti’ prasadams from these temples and one can see them wearing them on their foreheads almost all times of the day. In this there is no distinction of caste or creed.
The divine creation of Lord Subrahmanya, also known as Skanda (or Kanda, in Tamil), Karthikeya or Murugan, to alleviate the sufferings of the Devas is believed to have occurred on Vaikasi Visakam day. Vaikasi Visakam is observed as the birthday of Lord Subrahmanya, during the Tamil month of Vaikasi (May - mid June). (Visakam is one of the 27 Nakshatras). This year Visakam is celebrated on the 30th of May.
In Murugan temples all over Tamil Nadu, it is an important occasion and is celebrated with religious fervour.
The story goes like this:
Soora Padman and Tharakasura were asura (demon) brothers who were terrorizing the Devas. Unable to bear their cruelty anymore, the Devas requested Lord Parameswara (Lord Siva) to save them from the brothers. Lord Siva opened his Third Eye - the one in his forehead - He opened it very rarely - to emit six sparks. These sparks were carried by Agni, Vayu and the Devas to the Ganga and Ganga in turn carried them to Saravana Poigai, a stream, where it is believed that the fire sparks took the shape of six male babies, cradled by lotus flowers that floated in the stream.
Six young girls (Karthigai Pengal), who saw the babies floating in the river, took them and reared them till Goddess Parvati came there and fondly hugged the six babies to her bosom. The six babies coalesced to form into a single child with six faces and twelve hands. And that is how Lord Shanmukha (literally meaning ‘six faces’) was born to save the Devas.
When the appropriate time came, Skanda got himself ready to fight Soora Padman and his clan. Goddess Parvati gave Him the Shakti Vel (a spear) with which Subrahmanya fought the Asuras. At last, when Soora Padman’s wife requested the Lord to spare her husband, Skanda honoured her request by leaving him to remain as His flag (seval kodi- the flag with a cock emblem) and His vehicle - peacock (Mayilvahanam). As a mark of gratitude, Devendra married off his daughter Deivanai to Skanda. The fierce war took place in Tiruchendur, the coastal town in southern end of the country.
Tharakasura, it is believed, was killed in Tirupporur, near Chennai. Tirupporur attained its name because the war between Lord Muruga and the Asuras began here. It is about 30 km from Chennai. The Kandaswamy temple here was established by Sri. Chidambara Swamigal in the 17th century. The saint had a vision of Lord Muruga along with His spouses Valli and Deivanai and it is said that the Lord asked the saint to unearth Him from the ground. He did the same and built this temple. The temple is built in the shape of Tamil letter OM. That is to say, the different ‘Sannidhis’ (the sanctum sanctorum) are situated accordingly. People from Chennai and nearby towns throng the temple during Bharani, Krithigai and especially during Adi Krithigai, Thai Krithigai and Vaikasi Visakam. Another significance here is that, Saint Chidambara Swamigal attained his Jeeva Samadhi (salvation) on the same day of Vaikasi Visakam.
So, there will be Guru Puja to the Swamigal in the morning at his Samadhi (which is near the temple) and there will be a procession of the deities (Lord Muruga with His spouses) late in the evening. The Lord gives a special Darshan to the Swamigal whose idol will be brought from his Samadhi.
In our traditional homes, Vaikasi Visakam is celebrated with a special puja (with Sahasranama Archanai-1008 names) to Lord Murugan and Sarkarai Pongal as Neivedyam. ‘Kanda Sashti Kavacham’, ‘Subrahmanya Bhujangam’ (which, incidentally, I recite every day) and Shanmukha Kavacham (all in praise of the Lord) are read with all devotion. It is the firm belief of devout Tamilians that these Kavachams are real armour to protect them from the evil spirits and evil-doers.
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