K.A.Viswanathan

 

Mumbai : Tamil devotees pears their cheeks and body with metal spears , carry milk pots and participated in the religious procession on the Panguni Uthiram celebration in Mumbai on Friday. They visit Hindu God Lord Muruga temples and offer prayer to fulfil their wishes.

This is one of the most important festivals of devotees of Lord Muruga, son of Lord Shiva and Parvathi. The day is observed in the twelfth and the last month of the Tamil calendar known as Panguni when Uthiram Nakshatram (Uttara Phalguni) coincides with full moon day.

 

 

It is believed that Goddess Gauri (Durga) entered matrimony with Lord Shiva in Kanchipuram on this day and hence it is also known as Gauri Kalyanam day. On this day, even Lord Murugan (Kartikeya – son of Mata Parvati and Lord Shiva) tied the nuptial knot with Devayanai. Devotees visit temples  to offer prayers and celebrate the auspiciousness of this divine marital union.

 

Moreover, it marks the emergence of Goddess Mahalakshmi, who made her presence felt during the Samudra Manthan  when the Devas and the Asuras were churning the ocean to derive the nectar of immortality.