Date:09/01/2009 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2009/01/09/stories/2009010957310600.htm

Tamil Nadu

Devotees offer worship at Avudaiyarkovil

Staff Reporter

Divine move: Devotees pulling the temple car at Avudaiyarkovil near Pudukottai on the occasion of Thiruvathirai festival on Thursday.

PUDUKOTTAI: A large number of devotees pulled the temple-car of Sri Athmanathaswamy at Avudaiyarkovil, about 60 km from here, on the occasion of ‘Thiruvathirai ther’ festival on Thursday and offered their worship to Sri Manickavasagar, one of the four Saivite stalwarts.

Two car festivals

This is one of the two annual car festivals celebrated at the temple, the other one being the ‘Ani tirumanjanam.’

The celebration of car festivals at this temple have striking similarities with the ones at Chidambaram.

While Lord Nataraja is taken out during the procession at Chidambaram, the idol of Sri Manickavasagar is taken around the car streets at Avudaiyarkovil, twice every year.

The processional idol of Sri Manickavasagar was brought from the sanctum sanctorum to the car in the morning where special ‘pujas’ were performed.

The devotees, amidst religious fervour, pulled the car on the four Car streets around the temple.

Sri Sundaramoorthy Swamigal from Tiruvavaduthurai Adheenam, which maintains the temple; Sri Muthukumaraswamy Thambiran from Mounaguru Mutt in Tiruchi witnessed the rituals performed by a group of temple-priests led by Sri Balasubramania Nambiar and Sri Manicka Gurukkal. The car was brought to rest at about 3 p.m.

The eleven-day festival commenced on December 31 and the car festival signifies the ninth day rituals.

‘Velli Ratham’

The ‘Velli Ratham’ ritual falls on Friday evening when Sri Manickavasagar will be adorned in the ‘Raja alankaram.’

The festival concludes on Saturday with the rituals on ‘Upadesa kaatchi’ in the morning.

All these rituals are associated with the life of Sri Manickavasagar who constructed the sanctum sanctorum of this temple.