Mylapore Panguni Uthiram

Mylapore Kapaleeswarar Temple Brahmotsavam is a ten-day festival celebrated during Panguni Uthiram.

During the 10-day Brahmotsavam festival, Ratholsavam (Car festival) is the major event which attracts lakhs of devotees from all around Tamil Nadu and surrounding states.

Panguni Uthiram festival is celebrated with utmost pomp and gaiety which marks the conclusion of Brahmotsavam festival. Mylapore Kapaleeswarar Brahmotsavam ends with the divine marriage of Mylai Sri Kapaleeswarar and his divine consort Karpagambai. A major attraction of the 10-day Panguni celebrations, the ‘Arupathumoovar Vizha,’ in which the idols of the 63 Shaivite saints would be taken around the streets of Mylapore in a colourful procession.

It is believed that the wedding of Rama and Sita was celebrated on Panguni Uthiram. So divine marriages are celebrated on this day. As an annual event all temples take their utsava murthis to the kalyana mandapam of the temple and perform the marriage of the presiding God and Goddess there. For instance, the Thirukalyanam of Siva-Parvati, Lord Subramanya, Vishnu-Lakshmi, Rama-Sita is celebrated in a grand manner in all temples.

Mylapore, Kapaleswara Koil

Indian Ink pen on A4 sheet
A view of Mylapore Gopuram from 16 Pillar Mandapam, East Mada street side

Kapaleeshwarar Temple is a temple of Shiva located in Mylapore, Chennai in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The form of Shiva's wife Parvati worshipped at this temple is called Karpagambal (from Tamil, "Goddess of the Wish-Yielding Tree"). The temple was built around the 7th century CE in Dravidian architecture. According to the Puranas, Shakti worshipped Shiva in the form of a peacock, giving the vernacular name Mylai (Mayilāi) to the area that developed around the temple - mayil is Tamil for "peacock". Shiva is worshiped as Kapaleeswarar, and is represented by the lingam. His consort Parvati is depicted as Karpagambal. The presiding deity is revered in the 7th century Tamil Saiva canonical work, the Tevaram, written by Tamil saint poets known as the nayanars and classified asPaadal Petra Sthalam.