Sri Meenakshi Temple Celebrates Panguni Uthiram Festival on a Grand Scale
By Kamala Raghavan
PEARLAND: Panguni Uthiram is celebrated at many temples throughout South India and the world. Devotees flock to many well-known temples such as Perur, Palani, Kapaleeswarar temple in Mylapore and Vadapalani Murugan temple, to name a few. The festival was celebrated in a grand manner at Sri Meenakshi Temple on Sunday, March 27. It is believed that the wedding of Rama and Sita was celebrated on Panguni Uthiram. The “Kalyanams” of Siva-Parvati, Lord Subramanya, Vishnu-Lakshmi and Rama-Sita are celebrated in a grand manner at many temples. The festival is celebrated in temples by observing several rituals such as devotees carrying a “kavadi” (semicircular canopy supported by a wooden rod that is carried on shoulders), milk pots or pull a chariot in fulfilment of vows. A special feature is the “alagu”, where devotees pierce the body with spears and hooks as an offering to the Lord for having helped them to avert a calamity. The festival dates back to the 7th Century according to historians.
The grand celebration of Panguni Uthiram at Sri Meenakshi Temple was attended by a huge crowd of devotees all through the morning. The function started with beautiful Seervarisai procession from Ganesh Temple. The Main Temple was full with devotees for Kalyana Utsavam. Malai Matral (Garland exchange) ritual was done beautifully by all the priests. The procession with Mayil Vahanam was a great sight to watch. The decorations by the priests were beautiful, and the chanting of the slokas and devotional music by the devotees were feasts for the eyes and ears. The event Coordinators Sathya Nagarajan and Saro Alagappan executed it flawlessly under the leadership of Chairman Narayanan and vice chairman Padmini Nathan who were aided expertly by the RAC team members.