Karthika Deepam

Karthika Deepam

Karthika Deepam, Thrikarthika or Karthikai Vilakkidu is a festival of lights that is observed by Hindus of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka. It falls in the month of Kārttikai as per Tamil calendar. In Telugu households of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karthika Maasalu is considered very auspicious.

About Karthika Deepam in brief

Summary Karthika DeepamKarthika Deepam, Thrikarthika or Karthikai Vilakkidu is a festival of lights that is observed by Hindus of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka. It falls in the month of Kārttikai as per Tamil calendar. In Kerala, this festival is known as Thrikkarthika, celebrate to welcome Goddess Karthiyayeni Bhagavathi. In Telugu households of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karthika Maasalu is considered very auspicious. In the rest of India, a related festival called Kartik Purnima is celebrated in a different date. It is also known as Kartikeya, or Muruga’s birthday. The six stars are considered in Indian mythology as the six celestial nymphs who reared the six babies in the Saravana tank which later were joined together to form the six faced Muruga.

Lord Shiva created Muruga from his 3rd eye of six primary faces (Aghoram, Sadyojatam, Vamadevam, Eesanam, Adhomukam). It is believed that the six forms made into six children and later merged into one by his mother Parvati. While merging he also formed into a six faced and worshiped with six names. As the six nymphS helped in growing the child, Lord Shiva blessed immortality to the sixNymphs as ever living stars on the sky. Any worship performed to this six stars is equal to worshiping Lord Muruga himself. They are worshiped by lighting up rows of oil lamps in the evening of the festival day around the houses and streets. The festival finds reference in Sangam literature like Akanaṉūṟu and the poems of Auvaiyar.