The Karthigai Deepam Chariot festival was held at Tiruparangunram in Madurai after a gap of two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
A large number of devotees participated in the chariot festival.
Karthigai Deepam festival started with flag hoisting on November 28 and today is the main day with a chariot ride carrying idols of Gods. A lamp will be lit on the top of Tiruparangunram hill at 6 pm today.
This is one of the most important festivals in Madurai which many devotees attend.
According to the website of Tiruvannamalai district, Tamil Nadu celebrates Karthigai Deepam as the traditional festival. It is a very old festival and is also celebrated in the neighboring states like Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. This festival is very important among the Tamils.
Karthigai Deepam is very old and people from long back have been associated to this auspicious occasion. The actual history may not be clearly stated in the scriptures but some citations have been found in the ancient writings.
One can find a reference to this festival of lights in the the age old literature of Tamils known as Ahananuru, a collection of poems. It is one of the great books of Sangam literature that talks about the happenings between 200 BC and 300 AD. Avaiyyar, renowned woman of Sangam age also mentions about karthigai Deepam in her poems.
( With inputs from ANI )
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