The 10-day Karthigai Deepam festival, which is observed in regions like Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka, includes a sacred lamp-lighting ritual known as Bharani Deepam.
A large circular metal container called a “kopparai,” which can store around 2000 litres of ghee, is used to light the Bharani Deepam. It has a diameter of five feet and a height of five and a half feet. 30 metres of “Ghada” fabric make up the lamp’s wick, which is burned using 2 kg of camphor. It is stated that once the light is lit on the night of “Karthigai Pournami,” its glow may be seen for 35 miles all around the Siva temple in this location. Devotees light the fire at the Arunachaleswarar temple’s Artha mandap using a yagam made especially for the occasion.
In the evening, the Pancha Moorthis are transported to the Katchi Mandapam. The five deepams, which are housed in a large container close to the Dhwajasthambam or flagstaff, are brought to this location with the god (Ardhanareeswarar) during Pradosham time (dusk). The five enormous, ghee-filled jars stand in for the five elements: ether, earth, fire, and water. To symbolise the reunification of all things with God, the source of everything, a solitary flame is plucked from the pots and kept blazing throughout the day in the temple. The Bharani Deepam is the name of this solitary flame. The audience simultaneously screams loudly in unison, “Annamalaikku Arohara,” as the guiding light atop the 2,668-foot-high hill gets illuminated. The beacon atop the hill is lit to signal the ceremony’s conclusion. At the temple, tens of thousands of worshippers wait in line to see Arunachaleswarar and Goddess Abithakuchalambal.
The Deepam pot used to stay atop the hill for the full year for a number of years. It was replaced after extensive usage and weathering caused irreparable damage. A few days before Maha Deepam, it is now transported up the hill. It is taken back down and kept in the Arunachaleswarar temple when the event is over.
A group of fisherman are blessed by the temple priest during a ritual, and they are given lamps in safe containers. The Bharani Deepam at the temple is used to light the lamp. Fishermen from hereditary fishing families carry this lantern, also known as the Bharani Deepam, to the mountaintop. The deepam flame will be lit outside the Arunachaleswarar Shiva sannidhi by other members of the same family who will stay in the temple.
The origin story of Karthigai Deepam:
The Hindu gods Vishnu and Brahma once argued about who should be in charge. Each claimed to be the best. The other gods became frightened as the conflict threatened to become violent and rushed to Shiva to request his mediation. Shiva concurred. He assumed the shape of a massive column of fire and challenged Vishnu and Brahma to determine where it began and ended. The person who discovered it would be regarded as the greatest. Vishnu and Brahma concurred. To locate the end of the fire column, Vishnu transformed into a boar and dug a long tunnel into the ground. However, he was unable to locate it and gave up. Brahma, meanwhile, transformed into a swan and sailed up into the sky to locate the origin of the fire.
But he also fell short in his endeavour. He lied, saying he had discovered it. Shiva, however, condemned him since he was lying. Shiva thus demonstrated his supremacy and the inferiority of the other two gods. Then, in the region known as Thiruvannamalai, he manifested as a hill. “Holy fire hill” is what the names Tiruvannamalai and Arunachala mean. To honour this occasion, a shrine was eventually constructed atop the hill. The Karthigai Deepam festival is held here in a big way at the Arunachaleswarar Temple.
The event is associated with Muruga, the son of Shiva and Parvati, according to yet another tradition concerning Karthigai Deepam. According to legend, Lord Muruga was created from six fire sparks that sprang from Shiva’s third eye. These sparks developed into six infants, which the six Karthigai penngal (Karthigai stars) nurtured in a lake known as Saravana Poigai. On this day, Goddess Parvati subsequently combined the six infants into a single infant. Because of this, Muruga has six faces and is referred to as Aarumugan.
Bharani Deepam’s significance
The Bharani Deepam ritual is very important. It indicates that when the Karthigai Deepam is lighted at dusk, Shiva presents as the five components, which subsequently combine to form one. From one to many, and many to one, is the fundamental tenet of Saivism. Karthigai Deepam also has this as its connotation. For the devotees who attend the celebration at Siva temples, the lamps lighted in front of the temple sanctuary symbolically dispel darkness from their life.