Pongal and Thaipoosam Celebrated at Sri Meenakshi Temple

Beautifully arranged Pal Kudam and Kaavadi at Sri Meenakshi Temple.

Beautifully arranged Pal Kudam and Kaavadi at Sri Meenakshi Temple.

By Ponni Sivaraman
PEARLAND: It was a weekend of twin celebrations at Sri Meenakshi temple in Pearland as the devotees welcomed the auspicious month of Thai (signifying the northerly movement of Sun) by celebrating Pongal/Makara Sankaranti and Thai Poosam.

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The Indian Harvest festival known as Pongal or Makara Sankaranthi was celebrated on January 18. Keeping up with the tradition in Indian villages, the devotees dressed in traditional South Indian attire prepared the sweet Pongal in brass pots on earthen stove using wood as fuel; the event was coordinated by Nach Vaduganathan, Meera Srikanth and Bargavi Golla. While the ladies were making the Pongal it was refreshing to see young kids of Meenakshi Sheka (Hindu Swayam Sevak) do Surya Namaskar. Bharathi Kalai Manram (Houston Tamil association) had their Pongal Cultural Program at MTS that afternoon while Makara Sankranti was celebrated by Telugu Cultural Association the following day.

Pongal / Sankarati celebration with traditional sweet Pongal in brass pots on earthen stove.

Pongal / Sankarati celebration with traditional sweet Pongal in brass pots on earthen stove.

Thaipoosam, a Hindu festival in honor of the Hindu God Karthikeya (Lord Muruga) was celebrated with much grandeur on January 19. This festival commemorates the occasion of Goddess Parvathy, giving her son Lord Muruga, the “Sakthi Vel” (Spear) to vanquish the demon army of Asura, Soorapadman. Thus it signifies victory over evil and is celebrated at all Murugan temples around the world.

Ratha Yatra:  Deities resplendent on the silver chariot in procession around the Temple

Ratha Yatra: Deities resplendent on the silver chariot in procession around the Temple

Thaipoosam is celebrated in the Tamil month of Thai (January/February), on the day of the star “Poosam” and around the full moon. The devotees generally observe fasting prior to this celebration and after an early morning ritual of bathing and prayer, visit the Temple with offerings of fruits and yellow/orange flowers (said to be Lord Muruga’s favorite color).
The festivities began at the Ganesh Temple with a Sankalpam and Pooja for all the Pal Kudams (a pot of milk with a coconut on top and covered with a yellow ornate cloth and Kaavadis (a semi-circular decorated canopy made out of bamboo or wood with a wooden rod that holds together 2 small pots of brown sugar on either ends. This milk and Brown sugar is later used for the Abishekam).

Devotees carrying Pal Kudams and Kaavadis in a sea of procession for the Abhishekam

Devotees carrying Pal Kudams and Kaavadis in a sea of procession for the Abhishekam

Chanting “Muruganukku Arohara” and reciting devotional songs in praise of the Lord, the devotees then carried the 150Pal Kudams on their heads and 92 Kaavadis on their shoulders from the Ganesh Temple to the Kalyana Mandapam. There, a grand Abishekham was performed by priests Sri Manickasundaram Bhattar and Sri Kalyana Sundaram and the exquisite Alankaram and Aarti that followed rendered the gathering of about 700 devotees speechless. Devotees recited the Kanda Shasti Kavacham and sang other devotional songs creating a divine ambiance.
The urchava Murthi along with his consorts Deivanai and Valli was then taken out on a procession on the silver chariot or “Ratham” to the main sannadhi for the final aarti. Prasadam was provided by the temple to all those that attended.
This event was coordinated by Meena and Vairavan Subramanian and helped by Dr. Dorairajan and many volunteers who put in countless number of hours performing various tasks.
This huge effort along with the devotees’ enthusiasm made this year’s Thaipoosam celebration a great success.