Arunachala Karthigai Festival: Day 6. Day - Chandrasekhara on Silver Elephant: 63 Nayanars
In the festivities of the morning of the sixth day, a glorious Silver
Elephant, leads a procession of the great Shiva devotees, the 63
Nayanars.
The Nayanars are remembered as a group of 63 saints (poets) of the 6th
to 8th century who were devoted to Lord Shiva. It was they who
influenced the Bhakti movement in Tamil Nadu. The names of the 63 saints
were first compiled by Sundarar and the list was expanded by
Nambiyandar Nambi during his compilation of material for the famed
Tirumurai.
Message of the Nayanars
"There have been many 'intellectuals' even in India who have looked down
upon the path of Bhakti (devotion) as something inferior to Jnana
(wisdom). Their short-sightedness becomes at once apparent when we study
the lives of the great Four Teachers (Appar, Sundarar, Manickavachagar
and Sambandar) and realise that these great Jnanis, too, were great
Bhaktas who loved to visit Temples and sing the glories of the Lord.
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Love of the Lord cuts at the very root of our attachment to this world,
and snaps all worldly ties, to father, mother, son, wife or relatives.
As the stories of the Nayanars illustrate, the devotee is ever ready to
renounce all, in favour of devotion to Lord Siva.
Let us also never forget that in the case of all the Nayanars devotion
invariably meant expansion of the heart, and, therefore, service and
charity. We have to take the individual tales of the Nayanars as
allegories exhorting us to rout out the inner obstacles to our Sadhana.
If we approach these saints with faith and devotion in our hearts, we
shall grasp the message they have for us. We shall also understand why
they gave such a great place to externals like the sacred ash,
Rudraksha, etc. These symbols remind one constantly of God: and, when
they are said to remove our sins, they remove our sinful tendencies,
too, by constantly reminding us of God, and keeping evil out of our
mind."
[By: Venkatesananda]
Out of the 63 Nayanars, the four Saiva Samaya Acharyas; (left to right)
Tirugnasambandar, Tirunanvukkarasar (Appar), Sundarar and Manikkavasagar
are remembered best of all.
The principal teachings of the four Saiva Samaya Acharyas is of love and
surrender to God; and of service to God and godly men. That love,
devotion, and service to God is the only way one can obtain His Grace.
God is One and He is Shiva. That man must get over his bonds which keep
him in ignorance and obtain inseparable union with Shiva through the
Lord's Grace.
The Lord on silver Elephant
Proceeding on mada veedhis of Big Temple
Palanquins carrying individual Nayanars
The Saiva Samaya Acharyas
Procession of Rukku with Silver Elephant
Below photographs shows the sequence of Lord Chandrasekhara being mounted on his Silver Elephant vahana
Lord carried on palanquin from temple to Alankaram Mandapam
Lord moving towards platform with Silver Elephant
Silver Elephant on Platform
Lord on palanquin being moved towards vahana
Lifted up to back of Vahana
Once Lord positioned back of Elephant - palanquin poles removed
Decorating the Lord on palanquin
Sugarcane and flowers on Elephant trunk
Elephant Vahana ready to move out of Mandapam
Darshan in front of Mandapam before procession
2016 Arunachala Karthigai Festival: Day 6. Night - Silver Chariot
The below photographs are of the night procession of the sixth day of
the 2016 Arunachala Karthigai Deepam Festival with the Lord in his
processional Silver Chariot.
In the first photograph Lord Arunachaleswarar is carried from the front
of the Alankaram Mandapam across Car Street to the Teertham at corner of
Sannidhi Street, where His Silver Chariot awaits.
Lord carried from Alankaram Mandapam to His chariot
Lord in Silver Chariot ready to start procession
Procession around mada veedhis
Arunachala Karthigai Festival - Silver Chariot
The Silver Chariot
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