This is THE festival of Madurai that attracts huge crowds every year.Chithirai is the first month of the Tamil solar year (April-May) and Thiruvizha in Tamil means festival.What takes place in this 10 day festival is indeed a spectacular exhibition of religious fervour.

The celebrations begin with the ceremonial hoisting of the flag (Kodi Yetram). Most festivals atleast in Tamilnadu and Kerala have this as the beginning.This is followed by the Pattaabhisekam, or the coronation of Mother Meenakshi as the queen of Madurai.Then, She starts on Her DigVijayam, or conquest of the world.After this happpens the much awaited celestial wedding of the divine couple-Meenakshi and Sundareswarar.Following the wedding is the Ther Thiruvizha where the devout take the richly adorned chariots in procession through the city of Madurai.

With all the spotlight on the divine couple, here c... Read More  

"Kaasiyil Paadi Kalpaathy!"
The above statement in Tamil/Malayalam compares this Kshetra with Kaashi.
Located near Palakkad town in Kerala, the famous Visaalaakshi Sametha Viswanaatha Swaamy temple has Lord Shiva as Viswanaatha and His consort Parvathi as Visaalakshi (the one with big eyes).
Also known as "Kundukovil" due to its lower elevation than the surroundings, the temple is located at the banks of the Neela Nadhi/Kalpathy river. This area is home to the "Palakkad
Brahmanas" who speak Tamil with a Malayalam accent.
Like the Viswanaatha temple in Kaashi, Kaala Bhairava is present here too. The temple also houses Lord Subrahmanya along with Valli and Devayaanai. The Shiva Lingam worshipped here was brought from Kaashi by a lady, who got the temple built by the king who ruled this place, about seven ce... Read More  

Thai Poosam is celebrated on the Pournami day of the Tamil month of "Thai", falling on the Poosam Nakshatra. The Poosam (Pushya) star is very auspicious for the inner growth of an individual.
Thai Poosam is the day Taarakaasura, the demon who troubled a lot of people, was destroyed by Lord Murugan. For the difficult task of annihilating the ferocious demon, Murugan was given 12 weapons! 11 of these were given by His father Shiva, and one was given by His mother Paarvathi. The one given by the mother is the "Vel" (spear).

Significance of the Vel:
Murugan is known as Velaayudha or Dhandapaani, the one with the "Vel/Dhanda" weapon in His hand. There is probably no depiction of Him without this powerful symbol. The Vel is the supreme wisdom that destroys negative tendencies and helps the devotee in ascension to higher
stages of spiritual growth, u... Read More  

Since it is Skanda Shashti time, we'll discuss Murugan/Skanda.

Known as Murugan/Skanda/Subrahmanya, He is a deity very dear to crores
of Hindus across the world, especially the Tamils of India, SriLanka,
Singapore, Malaysia and Mauritius, by whom He is affectionately called
the "Tamizh Kadavul" or Tamil God.
He is also my Ishta Deivam :)
He is the warrior Lord, and even the Bhagavad Geetha mentions Lord Krishna
telling Arjuna that among warriors, He is Skanda.(Senaninam Aham Skandah)
A brief history of Murugan:
Yes, it's the same fascinating narration of the victory of good over evil.
The demon Surapadman was wreaking havoc everywhere and was threatening
even the Devas. Terrified, the Devas rushed to Kailasa to ask Siva's help.
However, they found Siva in deep meditation. Knowing very well that it would
be foolish t... Read More