A first: Naga Sadhus to take part in Mahamaham:
Week 14-21 Feb, 2016
● For the first time a group of Naga Sadhus from the Himalayas and Varanasi have arrived at Kumbakonam to take part in the ongoing Mahamaham festival, known as Kumbh Mela of the south, which takes place once in 12 years.
● Clad in loin cloths, the sadhus have built tents on the banks of Veerachozhan River at Govindhapuram near Kumbakonam and are performing homams.
● Naga Sadhus make public appearance only rarely. They usually participate in the Kumbh Mela at Allahabad. This is the first time they have come down to participate in Mahamaham.
● The Naga sadhus will take a holy dip in the Mahamaham tank and then participate in ’Theerthavari’, the most important event of Mahamaham.
Importance of Mahamaham festival:
● Mahamaham Festival
Masimaham is an annual event that occurs in the Tamil month of Masi (February–March) in the star of Magam. Once in twelve years, when the planet Guru (Jupiter) enters Simha(Leo) sign, the Kumbh mela festival of South India is celebrated at Mahamaham tank.
● Vast crowds gather at Kumbakonam to have a dip in the tank, along with saints and philosophers.
● All the rivers of India are believed to meet at the tank on this day and a purificatory bath at this tank on this day is considered equal to the combined dips in all the holy rivers of India.
● Festival deities from all the temples in Kumbakonam arrive at the tank and at noon, all the deities bathe along with the devotees – it is called “Theerthavari”.
● The purificatory bath is believed to remove sins and after the dip, pilgrims offer charitable gifts in the hope of being rewarded in the current life and subsequent lives.
● Bhavishya Purana mentions the importance of Mahamaham and the importance of the festival as a narrative of Shiva to all celestial deities.