Festivals

“Sithar worship” is a subtle art of inner worship. Sithar devotees must follow the intellectual principles of his worship. Sithar blesses devotees, who follow his way of worship, and bestows them with health, wealth, happiness,and flourish their lives with prosperity, so the prominence of “Sithar worship” is to follow his ideology of worship.
Kumbhabishekam was celebrated during the Tamil Calendar year; Sri Vikruthi, on the 4th day of Tamil month Masi, i.e. on Wednesday 16.02.2011, in a grandeur way.
In the middle of April, the Theerthavari festival is celebrated for two days.
The phenomenal Audi festival is celebrated on the 18th day of the Tamil month Audi (month of August) and the auspicious new moon day in the same month. Devotees submit prayers for their ancestors and admire Sithar at the holy tree Katta Puliamaram. A special prayer is performed with holy water in a decorated “Sacrificial pot”. The holy water rejuvenates with divine energy by the grace of Sithar. The presiding deities and the festival deity are worshiped with prayers and anointed with sacred liquids and finally with the sanctified holy water prayed at Katta Puliamaram. Devotees recite Tamil hymns “Thiruvasagam” to surrender themselves at the feet of the divine.
Karthigai festival is celebrated on the Karthigai Star day in the Tamil month Karthigai (mid-November to mid-December). The festival deity Chidambarathandavar on the Rishaba Vahanam was decorated gorgeously and traveled across the village to bless the devotees. A bonfire with palmyra leaves lit in front of the temple. It is believed to ward off evil forces and usher in prosperity and joy.
Note: During the special prayer in the festivals, Angala eswari was propitated with sweet pongal (a dish made of raw rice cooked in milk with jaggery, ghee and cardamom) as a sacred food. Veerabhadrar was worshiped with milk pongal (a dish made of raw rice cooked in milk) as a sacred food. Irulappar was worshiped with sweet pongal (a dish made of crystal sugar candy mixed with cooked raw rice) as a sacred food, Padhali Amman was worshiped with panchamirtham (a preparation of smashed ripened bananas, grapefruit, Deseeded dates mixed with honey and crystal sugar candy) as a sacred food, Vinayagar was worshiped with poha in milk as a sacred food.
Every year in the Tamil month Marghazhi daily special prayer is being performed and devotees are served with prasadam.
The most famous annual Maha Shivaratri festival is celebrated for five days in the Tamil month Masi (mid-February-mid-March).
The first day of the Maha Shivaratri is celebrated, by hoisting a flag marked with a sacred symbol Nandi on the flagpole, to indicate the beginning of the festival and special prayers offered to worship the flagpole.
The second day of the Maha Shivaratri festival is to celebrate the Shivaratri cemetery festival (Kapparai festival in Tamil) and to worship Irulappar and Pon Irulayee Amman. Arulmigu Irulappar was decorated nicely and worshipped with sacred food and has the blessings to perform the Shivaratri cemetery festival.
The feminine deity “Mayana Kali” decorated as Pon Irulayi Amman is designed to appear fearsome with a new source of sand. By the grace of Irulappar, prayer is done at nighttime. She is offered the blood of animal sacrifice i.e., the blood of a sheep, a pig, and the blood of a cock having red-colored feathers (Muppali in Tamil). Huge devotees gathered to witness the ritual and receive the blessings of the deity.
Note: Usually this ritual is celebrated in all the Shiva and Kali temples on the Maha Shivaratri day or the next day. In this temple only, this ritual is celebrated a day before Maha Shivaratri day, to give prime importance to Arulmigu Pon Irulayi Amman.
The third day of the Maha Shivaratri festival i.e the Maha Shivratri day is scheduled to be celebrated at nighttime. The ardent devotees observe a fast and stay awake at night during the nightlong prayers and spend the night contemplating on spirituality.
Amid nightlong prayers, during the 3rd prahar time (3rd jamam) of Chaturdashi Tithi, a traditional ritual is performed by four temple priests. The priests are decorated attractively, and one of the priests holds a divine trident, and the other two hold divine spears. They gain spiritual energy from the goddesses, to carry out the sacred dance aggressively. The priests meditate and surrender their hearts to devotion, gaining divine sentience, and perform unrestrained emotional movements. The devotees watching the sacred dance, take themselves into meditation, as well merge their minds with the Almighty consciousness.
One of the priests holding the trident moves fast, enters the sanctum, and positions the divine trident up straight in the sacrificial clay pot filled with holy water, placed in front of Sithanathar. Then comes the second priest with the divine spear, positions the spear up straight in the sacrificial clay pot filled with holy water placed in front of Arulmigu Angala eswari. Finally, the third priest holding the divine spear enters the sanctum and positions the spear up straight in the sacrificial clay pot filled with holy water, placed in front of Arulmigu Magamayi. By the grace of Sithanathar, all the three divine tools stood up straight in the same position. The devotees witnessing this divine blissful scene, worship the presiding deities; with devout ecstasy, and get the blessings of Deeparadhana. They are distributed with sacred offerings, holy ash, and holy water.
The fourth-day celebration of the MahaShivaratri festival usually falls on the new moon day. A thanksgiving ritual (Alagu Pallaya poosai in Tamil) is done in the early morning to pay tribute to the presiding deities, for the “divine tools positioning ritual” performed excellently the previous day. Devotees also gathered at Katta Pulimaram to admire Sithar.
The fifth day of the Maha Shivaratri festival is to celebrate the fervor, chase hunting festival (Pari Vettai festival in Tamil) and to give due respect to Swamy Nallathambi. The Swamy is worshiped with sacred food, hunting ryes, hunting weapons, and has the blessings to proceed with the ritual. After the prayer, the festival deity Chidambarathandavar is decorated looking pretty on the Rishiba Vahanam and departs to perform the hunting ritual. The devotees pick up the hunting rye and weapons following the festival deity to entertain the ritual. This ritual brings triumphant joy to the devotees.
This ritual is scheduled to be celebrated in the nighttime to admire the guardian deities, after the Maha Shivaratri celebrations i.e. after lowering the sacred flag from the flagpole. During the Maha Shivaratri festival celebrations, the temple comes under the rule of guardian deities, who ward off evil forces entering the temple premises. The guardian deities were revered with special prayers, and worshiped with sacred offerings that include wine and cooked animal sacrifice.