Panguni Uthiram is a World’s Celebrity Event !

Panguni Uthiram is a World’s Celebrity Event !

• P.Natarajan.

The Tamil month Panguni occurs as the 12th in the Tamil Year and the Star ‘UTHIRAM’ is also the 12th when you count the 27 stars from Aswini onwards. When the star of the day in the month of Panguni happens to be Uthiram, the day is more well known as ‘Panguni Uthiram’.

Sivanesan Chettiar who was an ardent devotee  of Lord Shiva, and who lived in ‘Thirumayilai’ (Mylapore in Chennai) had a daughter Poompavai by name. He wished to give her in marriage to Thirugnana Sambandar and accordingly brought her up in the ritualistic ‘Kannimadam’. But she died out of  snake bite and her father kept the urn containing her ashes in a protected place. Sambandar came to Thirumayilai to worship the Lord. He came to know about Poompavai death. In order to bring her alive, he sang a piece in Tamil beginning ‘ matita punnayangkanal ‘ which lists the festivals that happened in Mylapore and which Poompavai could not witness. It is history today that Poompavai came alive and that day was no other than ‘ Panguni Uthiram’.

The benevolent Goddess Parvathy’s wedding, like that of Madurai Meenakshi and Kanchi Kamakshi is celebrated in the well known Panguni Uthiram day, in Thirumayilai.

Kanchi Kamakshi performed a stringent ‘ Tapas ’ in Kanchi to get rid of the curse of Shiva who got annoyed when she closed his eyes with both the hands. Lord Shiva with an intention to test her solidarity and her penance, made the river Kampa to inundate and spoil the penance. Kamakshi took no time to embrace the idol, being worshipped made out  of Sand & Clay totally in order to save the sand-idol from dissolving in the inundating water. We can have darshan of Lord Ekambareswarar embracing Kamakshi in memory of this event in the temple named after the Lord in Kanchipuram. The event coincided with Panguni Uthiram.

Valli’s marriage to lord Murugan is conducted in temples affiliated to Murugan on Panguni Uthiram day only.

There are nine vrathams often undertaken to propitiate the grace of Lord Shiva - one of them being ‘Kalyana Sundara Vratham’. It is observed on Panguni Uthiram day and the devotee is blessed when all the hurdles vanish that caused hindrance for conducting smooth the marriage..

Uma Devi once wished to obtain ‘gyanopadesam’ from lord Shiva. Shiva advised her to go to Thirupananthal in Tamilnadu for carrying out the penance. She did severe penance there. She prayed sincerely to the Lord on a continuum. Lord Shiva appeared before her on Panguni Uthiram day and blessed her with Shaivam - Philosophy in depth. Shiva also taught Uma the ‘PANCHAKSHARA MANTRA’. This scene is seen in the Chenchadayappar Temple in Thirupananthal where the Goddess Periyanayaki is seen taking lessons from Lord Shiva - Ambal’s ear could be seen  towards her Guru and the Temple itself gets a look of a premises where teacher and taught usually meet. In Thirupananthal Temple this event is observed as ‘Gyanopadesam Festival’ on Panguni Uthiram  whereas all other temples observe ‘Kalyana Utsavam’  of Shiva and Parvathi on that auspicious day.

Rangamannar Andal’s wedding in Srivilliputhur takes place on Panguni Uthiram day.

So also Kanchi Varadar weds Thayar.

Sita Piratti  marries Sri Rama on Panguni Uthiram day.

Lord Ayyappa is born on Panguni Uthiram.

Arjuna of Mahabharata fame is born on Panguni Uthiram.

Shiva demolished Manmatha by his third eye when the God of Love  tried to play mischief with the Lord Shiva. Rathi Devi, Manmatha’s concert, prayed fervently to Lord Shiva to save him. Shiva showed compassion and brought Manmatha alive. That day also happened to be “ PANGUNI UTHIRAM ’

Festivities were galore on Friday, the 03rd APRIL 2015 , this year on account of Panguni Uthiram. The famous Car-Festival when Utsavar of lord Karthikaya is taken around the streets is celebrated on Panguni Uthiram day.

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