Doused in Piety

Some religious rituals can become awe-inspiring spectacles. A Kumbhabhishekam ceremony can be counted as one of them. The ritualistic bathing of the head/crown of a temple,the ceremony is believed to purify the temple precincts and infuse a mystical glow in the deity of the temple. The Shri Sithaladevi Temple,located on Sachapir street,in Camp,has an almost century old legacy of devotees of all religious denominations visiting. In the year 1950 began an annual festival here that has till date continued,drawing even more devotees to the pious doors of the temple. This year will mark an added significance to this yearly congregation as the temple is set to mark its second Mahakumbhabhishekam on April 27. The first and the last such Kumbhabhishekam was conducted in 1990,so the preparations for the second have acquired special importance.

The first annual festival of the temple was initiated by Shri R A Lakshminarayan in 1950. The ritual has continued over the years,and the festival is celebrated in the last week of April. Abhishekam,Alankaram and Archana mark the days of the celebration,while devotees can take back the traditional prasadam at the end of it. A Durga Homam (havan) is held on the last day. The fire ritual is believed to pray for the well-being of the whole universe. This is followed by the ritualistic distribution of food grains,called ‘Annadanam’. In the evening,a procession with Sithaladevi Devi’s visage is taken around a few streets of the city.

The temple has taken on a special sheen in preparation for the Mahakumbhabhishekam. “A Mahakumbhabhishekam is held once every 12 years,” says Ramji Iyer of the Shri Sithala Devi Devasthanam. “The temple has been renovated for this year’s ceremony. We have repainted the gopuram,and replaced some missing sculptures at the temple.”

A series of poojas held yesterday and to be held today will lead up to the day of the function. Shri Nataraja Sastrigal from Pune will head the Mahakumbhabhishekam on April 27,between 9:00am and 10:30am. He will be joined by Shri Srinivasa Sastrigal,Sri Karthik Ganapadigal from Kancheepuram,and a team of about 100 Vedic pandits from all over the country. The ritual will be followed by Mahaprasadam. The eight-day Annual Festival of the temple will commence from April 29.

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