Kavadi Festival

One of the most exciting festivals in India, the Kavadi Festival of Tamil Nadu is a blend of faith, sacrifice, glamor and custom. The extreme pain and sacrifice, a devotee undergoes to offer his prayers to Lord Muruga is known as the Kavadi. It is believed, the amount of virtue one receives by performing the Kavadi is million time greater than the pain he suffers. A Kavadi is a generally a wooden stick, which has two baskets hanging from it. The Kavadi that is carried by the bearers in their shoulders may vary in shapes and sizes. The Kavadis are adorned with peacock feathers and numerous brass bells. The two baskets are usually filled with rice, milk or any other things, which the devotee has promised to offer the Lord in his Vow.

The Kavadi bearer has to observe different rules from the time he has picked up the Kavadi till the day of the offering. One of the most difficult Kavadi offerings is the Agni Kavadi, where the devotee has to walk over a pit of burning coals while carrying the Kavadi. Egged by the watching crowd and boosted by the beating drums and fragrance of the burning incense sticks, the Kavadi bearer ecstatically walks through the red hot coals.

The Kavadi Festival is celebrated at all shrines of Lord Murugan and all over the state of Tamil Nadu. The festival is usually held during the months of April or May. Among the many Kavadi venues, the Ettukudi Kavadi festival is the most celebrated one.