Mayiladuthurai (Tamil Nadu) [India], February 7 : On the occasion of the last Friday of the Tamil month Thai, a Thiruvilakku Puja was held at the Sri Thunga Balasthanambika Sametha Kadrasundareswarar Temple located at Kanjanagaram village in Tharangambadi taluk of Mayiladuthurai district.
The event featured the traditional lighting of the Thiruvilakku, along with prayers and offerings to the deities. Community members brought sweets, fruits, and flowers, filling the temple with a joyful atmosphere through devotional songs and prayers. The priest led the ceremonies to bring blessings for health and prosperity.
As part of the celebrations, the 11th year of the 108th Thiruvilakku Puja was held on Friday. Women invoked the Goddess in the lamps placed before them and offered prayers seeking marital blessings, marital strength, and family harmony. They performed a special archana by offering kumkum, flowers, and other items to the lamps they had brought.
The puja concluded with Maha Deeparadhana. A large number of devotees participated in the event and offered prayers. The puja is common among women across Tamil society and is usually performed in groups. This group worship takes place in hundreds of villages and cities across Tamil Nadu. Groups of women, often 108, or 1008, or even up to 10008 Thiruvilakkus at a time, gather at temples to conduct simultaneous worship to their holy lamps.
'Thiru-vilakku' or 'Kuthu-vilakku' is an artistically crafted lamp, known as a Deepa in Sanskrit, that holds a sacred place in the shrines of South Indian homes. It is the symbol of Mahalakshmi, the deity of Fortune and Prosperity. Thiruvilakku Pooja is a collective worship of Mahalakshmi by a large number of women. This is said to bring prosperity to the home and peace to the world. It is primarily done for the well-being of the woman's family; it brings auspiciousness to every member. It is believed that Sai Mahalakshmi comes to anyone's house the moment they light the lamp and will grant every single desire of their heart.