The month of Margazhi stands witness to a beautiful cosmic dance by Lord Shiva! Let's celebrate the occasion with a quick snippet (and some delicious 'kali', of course) on Tiruvadirai or Aarudra Darshanam.
*Aarudra Darshanam is a festival celebrated on the full moon day coinciding with the star 'Tiruvadira' or 'Aarudra'in the month of Margazhi. This day is considered very auspicious for Lord Shiva.
*Lord Shiva, in the form of Nataraja, is said to have performed the cosmic dance, the 'ananda tandavam' on this day, along with his consort Goddess Shivakami.
*Festivities abound at the famous temple of Lord Nataraja in Chidambaram, around the Margazhi brahmotsavam conducted for about ten days.
*At homes and at temples of Lord Shiva, devotees recite hymns from the tevaram, tiruvachakam and so forth. A special sweet pudding called ‘kali’ is prepared as an offering to the Lord.
*In Kerala, a Tiruvadira festival is celebrated, which entails a tradition of wearing flower garlands and performing the Tiruvadiraikali or Kaikottikali dances.
*This day is believed to mark the birth anniversary of Saint Tirugnanasambandar and Saint Manikkavachakar in Sirkazhi and Tirupperundurai respectively.
*Several Carnatic music composers including Muttuswami Dikshitar, Gopalakrishna Bharati and Marimutha Pillai have composed soul- stirring songs in praise of Lord Nataraja of Chidambaram.
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Links:
Detailed animated explanations of >'Ananda Natana Prakasham' by Muthuswami Dikshitar
Complete song rendition with lyrics of >'Ananda Natana Prakasham' :
A crisp audio-visual presentation on >'Panchabhutalingams in South India':
