The Ayya Vaikunda Avataram or Vaikunda Jayanthi (

Tamil Tamil may refer to: People, culture and language * Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka ** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...

: அய்யா வைகுண்ட அவதாரம் or வைகுண்ட ஜெயந்தி - ''Incarnation of Lord Vaikundar'') is a festival celebrated by the followers of

Ayyavazhi Ayyavazhi (, ''Ayyāvaḻi'' , ) is a Hinduism, Hindu denomination that originated in South India during the 19th century.Tha. Krishna Nathan, ''Ayyaa vaikuNdarin vaazvum sinthanaiyum'', p. 62: "" (The day at which Vaikundar is given rebirth co ...

on the 20th day of the

Tamil month The Tamil calendar (தமிழ் நாட்காட்டி) is a sidereal solar calendar used by the Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It is also used in Puducherry, and by the Tamil population in Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singap ...

of Masi, the date on which the Ayyavazhi followers believe that

Lord Narayana Narayana (, ) is one of the forms and epithets of Vishnu. In this form, the deity is depicted in yogic slumber under the Kshira Sagara, celestial waters, symbolising the masculine principle and associated with his role of creation. He is als ...

himself incarnated as Vaikundar during an encounter with a deity Goddess Lakshmi, he was beget inside the sea and arose from the sea of

Thiruchendur Tiruchendur (Tamil: ''Tiruccentūr'' �t̪iɾɯtːʃen̪d̪uːr also ''jayantipuram'') is a municipality in Thoothukudi district, Tamil Nadu, India. It is home to the Arulmigu Subramaniya Swamy Temple, one of the Six Abodes of Murugan. Geogr ...

on Kollam Year 1008 at 20th day of Tamil Month Masi (1 March 1833 CE, Friday). He took the human form as Narayana Pantaram at Tharuvaiyur near seashore to destroy the evil spirit of

Kali Kali (; , ), also called Kalika, is a major goddess in Hinduism, primarily associated with time, death and destruction. Kali is also connected with transcendental knowledge and is the first of the ten Mahavidyas, a group of goddesses who p ...

and transform the

Kaliyukam ''Kali Yuga'' (Devanagari: कलियुग), in Hinduism, is the fourth, shortest, and worst of the four ''yugas'' (world ages) in a '' Yuga cycle'', preceded by ''Dvapara Yuga'' and followed by the next cycle's '' Krita (Satya) Yuga''. It ...

into

Dharma Yukam Dharma Yukam is the state of absolute bliss as per Ayyavazhi mythology. Dharma Yukam is described in the Akilam seventeen in Akilathirattu Ammanai. It is related to Dharma, Dharmic moksha and to Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic heaven. Vaikundar ...

. This is the only

festival which is celebrated simultaneously in all worship centres of Ayyavazhi on 19th Masi, the day before the date of incarnation of

Vaikundar Ayya Vaikundar, also known as Siva Narayana or Vaikunda Swami, was the founder of the Ayyavazhi faith. The Ayyavazhis believe him to be the first and foremost Purna avatar of Eka-Paran and the god Vishnu (Narayana). As per Ayyavazhi mytholo ...

. The Vaikunda Jayanthi festival is a restricted holiday for the states of

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...

and Kerala. It is also a local holiday for the districts of

Kanyakumari Kanyakumari (Tamil; / kəɳjɑkʊmɑɾiː/; referring to Devi Kanya Kumari, officially known as Kanniyakumari, formerly known as Cape Comorin) is a town and a municipality in Kanyakumari district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It is the ...

Tirunelveli Tirunelveli (), also known as Nellai and historically (during British rule) as Tinnevelly, is a major city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the administrative headquarters of the Tirunelveli District. It is the fourth-largest munici ...

and

Tuticorin Thoothukudi (formerly called Tuticorin) is a port industrial city in Thoothukudi district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It lies on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. The city is capital and headquarters of the district. ...

districts. The Great Masi Procession from

Nagercoil Nagercoil, natively spelt as Nāgarkovil (, "Temple of the Nāgas", or Nagaraja-Temple), is a Municipal Corporation city and the administrative headquarters of Kanyakumari District in Tamil Nadu state, India. Situated close to the tip of the ...

Swamithope Swamithope (alternate spelling Swamithoppe) is the name of a village that lies southeast of the City of Nagercoil, the capital of the District of Kanyakumari in the State of Tamil Nadu, at the extreme southern tip of India. In the past, Swamitho ...

on the Avatar day is one among the largest religious processions in

Processions

A grand procession originates from Thiruchendur to Nagercoil on the 19th of Masi representing the way of Vaikundar after the Avataram to

Detchanam Swamithope (alternate spelling Swamithoppe) is the name of a village that lies southeast of the City of Nagercoil, the capital of the District of Kanyakumari in the State of Tamil Nadu, at the extreme southern tip of India. In the past, Swamitho ...

, and another procession starts from

Thiruvananthapuram Thiruvananthapuram ( ), also known as Trivandrum, is the Capital city, capital city of the Indian state of Kerala. As of 2011, the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation had a population of 957,730 over an area of 214.86 sq. km, making it the ...

, on the same date representing the release of Lord Vaikundar from the jail of Singarathoppe. Both meet at

in the evening and at the next early morning, on the 20th of Masi the Vaikunda Jayanthi Orvalam originates from

Swamithoppe Swamithope (alternate spelling Swamithoppe) is the name of a village that lies southeast of the City of Nagercoil, the capital of the District of Kanyakumari in the State of Tamil Nadu, at the extreme southern tip of India. In the past, Swamitho ...

with several devotees. This is one of the largest festivals of the district which attracts a large crowd.

Thiruchendur Procession

As per the scriptures of

the incarnation of

was from the Sea of

Tiruchendur Tiruchendur (Tamil language, Tamil: ''Tiruccentūr'' �t̪iɾɯtːʃen̪d̪uːr also ''jayantipuram'') is a municipality in Thoothukudi district, Tamil Nadu, India. It is home to the Arulmigu Subramaniya Swamy Temple, Tiruchendur, Arulmigu ...

on 20th of Masi. So on celebrating this event the nationwide followers of Ayyavazhi assemble at Tiruchendur on that day (19th Masi or 3 March) at

Avatharappathi Avathara Pathi, the Ayya Vaikundar Avatar site is one of the primary holy places in Ayyavazhi, situated in Thiruchendur. Positioned along the sea shore, it lies about half a mile south of the Subramaniya Swamy Temple. The sacred "Makara Theertha ...

, the

Pathi Pathi ( - "The place where God is") is the name of the primary centres of congregational worship for the South Indian religious system of Ayyavazhi, having a relatively large structure like that of a temple. They are seven in number. The Pathis ...

erected on the sea-shore where Vaikundar is believed to be incarnated. 181-st Vaikunda Avataram Tiruchendur

On 18th Masi, (previous day) night the festival at

is celebrated in a grand scale and several conferences, cultural programs and

Anna Dharmam Ayyavazhi rituals are the religious practices prevalent among the followers of Ayyavazhi. Most of them are connected with Akilam and Arul Nool and a few, though not associated with the holy books, are practiced for over a century right from the b ...

s were held and the celebration goes on for the full night. Then on the 19th Masi morning, around 8 O' clock the people assembled there will take a holy bath in the Sea of Thiruchendur under the leadership of Avathara pathi Dharmaghartta's. This practise of taking bath (holy dip) at

on the day of Vaikunda Avatar is considered sacred. The Dharmaghartta's applies sacred 'Namam' on everybody's forehead. Then around 9 O' clock the procession starts from

under the leadership of Dharmaghartta's. The people follows Dharmaghartta's chanting ''"Ayya Siva-siva Siva-siva ara-kara ara-kara"''. Several vehicles such as trucks, vans and cars follow the procession. The procession goes through Seerkatchi, Nainarpathu, Udangudi, Chettiarpuram, Theriyoor, Santhayadi, Kottankadu, Muthukrishnapuram, Padukkapathu, Thattarmadam, Thisayanvilai and reaches Erumaikulam at noon. Here the people participate in

. Then, the procession starts from here and travels through Ayankulam, Karaichuthupudur, Koodankulam, Chettikulam, Chalaipudur, Avaraikulam, Ambalavanapuram,

Aralvaimozhi Aralvaimozhi is a panchayat town in Kanniyakumari District in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It is a small town situated in southern India. The town was earlier called as ''Aramboly'' during the colonial period. History Aralvaimozhi Pass w ...

Thovalai Thovalai is a small village located in Kanyakumari district, Tamil Nadu, India. The area is well known in India for its production of flowers, especially jasmine. The taluk was among the four in Thiruvananthapuram district that with the passa ...

and reaches Athalavilai.

Thiruvananthapuram Procession

Lord Vaikundar, was released from the Jail of Singarathoppe on 19th Masi, (3 March) after the trial with the king of

Travancore The kingdom of Travancore (), also known as the kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor () or later as Travancore State, was a kingdom that lasted from until 1949. It was ruled by the Travancore Royal Family from Padmanabhapuram, and later Thiruvanan ...

Swathi Thirunal Sri Swathi Thirunal Rama Varma III (16 April 1813 – 26 December 1846) was the Maharaja of the Kingdom of Travancore. He was a great musician and composer who has to his credit over 400 classical compositions in both Carnatic and Hindustani st ...

. After the release Lord was carried in a

Vahana ''Vāhana'' () or ''vahanam'' () denotes the being, typically an animal or mythical entity, a particular Hindus, Hindu deity is said to use as a vehicle. In this capacity, the vāhana is often called the deity's "mount". Upon the partnership b ...

, by his followers. So on celebrating this event the people used to go to

on that day and go as a procession to

. Though religiously, this celebration is not associated with the incarnation of Vaikundar, since it coincides with that day it too is commonly seen as an incarnational fest and is celebrated in the same vein. Though this was an on-foot procession for some years, now it was changed as a vehicle procession. Most of the people who participate in this procession are from

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...

. Like wise the

procession. The procession starts from

East Fort Kizhakke Kotta, also known by its English name East Fort, is a busy commercial street located at the heart of the central business district of Thiruvananthapuram city in Kerala. Since Thiruvananthapuram was the capital of the kingdom of Travan ...

through the

Highway (NH - 47). It passes through the towns of

Balaramapuram Balaramapuram is one of the panchayats that form the city of Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of Kerala, India. It is the most urbanized panchayat in Thiruvananthapuram. Balaramapuram is the centre for production for traditional varieties of ...

, Parasala,

Kaliyakkavilai Kaliyakkavilai is a town panchayat in Kanyakumari district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of Indi ...

Marthandam Marthandam is a major trade centre in Kuzhithurai municipality across National Highway (NH 47) in the Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu, India. Formerly known as Thoduvetty (another name for the Marthandam market region), it was a portion ...

, and

Thuckalay Thuckalay or Thakkalai is a town in Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu, India. Thuckalay comes under the Padmanabhapuram Municipality, and is the administrative headquarters of Kalkulam Taluk. The Revenue Divisional Office is located in Mettu ...

and finally reaches Athalavilai around 6.30 pm.

Celebration in Nagercoil

Both the Thiruchendur and Thiruvananthapuram processions unifies at Athalavilai. The Vaikunda Jyothi is lighted on the top of a hillock Vaikunda Malai at Athalavilai. Then the procession proceeds to Nagercoil. A religious conference is held there in Nagercoil. Eminent persons participate in the conference. It is followed by cultural and religious programs etc.

devotees from all over the nation stays here over the night.

The Great Masi Procession

On the next day on 20th of Masi, (4 March) 'The Great Masi Procession' begins early in the morning from

. The Dharmaghartta's usually will lead the procession. A decorated

vahana ''Vāhana'' () or ''vahanam'' () denotes the being, typically an animal or mythical entity, a particular Hindus, Hindu deity is said to use as a vehicle. In this capacity, the vāhana is often called the deity's "mount". Upon the partnership b ...

is carried in front of the procession in which the

Akilathirattu Ammanai Akilathirattu Ammanai (; ''akilam'' ("world"), ''thirattu'' ("collection"), ''ammanai'' ("ballad")), also called Thiru Edu ("venerable book"), is the main religious text of the Tamil belief system Ayyavazhi. The title is often abbreviated to Ak ...

(palm-leaf version) is sacredly placed. This is an on-foot procession and people walk following the vahana, chanting Ayya '' 'Siva-siva Siva-siva Ara-kara Ara-kara' ''. The participants will hold a saffron flag on their hands. Decorated

Elephant Elephants are the largest living land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant ('' Loxodonta africana''), the African forest elephant (''L. cyclotis''), and the Asian elephant ('' Elephas maximus ...

s and

horse The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 mi ...

s participate in this procession. The procession goes through Edalakudi,

Suchindrum Suchindram is a panchayat town in the Kanyakumari district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu with the Indian postal code 629704. It is an important pilgrim centre and the site of the famous Thanumalayan Temple. There is an Anjaneya (or Hanuman) ...

, Vazukamparai, Ethankadu, North Thamaraikulam. As a sign of religious harmony, people of different faiths,

Christians A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the world. The words '' Christ'' and ''C ...

Kottar Kottar is a locality and a bazaar area of Nagercoil, Tamil Nadu state, in the southernmost part of Peninsular India; though a part of Nagercoil today, it is the original town around which the city of Nagercoil grew. It was an ancient trade cent ...

;

Muslims Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

at Edalakkudi; and

Hindus Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

Suchindram Suchindram is a panchayat town in the Kanyakumari Kanniyakumari district, district in the Indian States and territories of India, state of Tamil Nadu with the Indian postal code 629704. It is an important pilgrim centre and the site of the famou ...

; welcome the procession by offering churul or garlands on the way. The procession reaches

at 12 noon and goes to the

Muthirikkinaru Muthiri Kinaru (Tamil: முத்திரி கிணறு) is the sacred well located in the north-western corner of Swamithoppe village. This is the famous theertha of the temple. It is located half a kilometre west from the main Pathi. ...

first and then through the four car streets (Ratha veethi) of Swamithope pathi. Then it goes around the Santhana veethi, the inner-circumambulating route of pathi (shown in the blue print above). Before entering the

the people hand over the flags at the pathi. Lakhs of Ayyavazhi followers participate in this procession,

Dina Malar ''Dinamalar'' is an Indian Tamil daily newspaper. It was founded in 1951 by T. V. Ramasubba Iyer. ''Dinamalar'' has an average circulation of 689,773 ( ABC Jan–Jun 2022). History Dinamalar was founded by T. V. Ramasubbaiyer on 6 September ...

, (5 March 2007) Nagercoil Edition, Page 8. and thousands of vehicles follow. This is one of the largest festivals of the state which attracts a huge crowd beyond the state. This day was announced as a holiday by the government of

for the districts of Kanyakumari from 1993 and for

and

from the year 2006.

Other processions

Also, several other

s too conduct processions on that day. Apart from these, the festival is also celebrated all over Tamil Nadu and Kerala grandly with processions in some

Thangal The Thangals (also spelled Tangals) are a social group among the Muslims of Kerala, south India.Kunhali, V. "Muslim Communities in Kerala to 1798" PhD Dissertation Aligarh Muslim University (1986/ref> The Thangals are often regarded as roughly e ...

s including in

Chennai Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...

in which thousands participate.

Citations

References

* G. Patrick's, ''Religion and Subaltern Agency'', University of Madras, 2003. * N. Elango and Vijaya Shanthi Elango's, ''Ayya Vaikuntar - The Light of the World'', 2000. * ''

The Hindu ''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It was founded as a weekly publication in 1878 by the Triplicane Six, becoming a daily in 1889. It is one of the India ...

'',

Edition, 5 March 2007.
Thousands take part in Ayya Vaikundar Avatar day - The HinduAyya Vaikundar Avatar day - The Maalaimalar
{{Hindu festivals History of Ayyavazhi Ayya Vaikundar Hindu festivals Ayyavazhi mythology Hindu holy days Hindu festivals in Kerala February observances March observances Festivals in Tamil Nadu Religious festivals in India