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Utsava (), also referred to as Utsavam, generally means a festival or celebration or any joyous occasion, mostly associated with
Hinduism Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified ...
. It also carries the meaning of delight, merriment and pleasure. The Sanskrit word ''utsava'' comes from the word "ut" meaning "removal" and "sava" which means "worldly sorrows" or "grief". According to Hindu tradition, ''utsava'' are specific to festivals associated with temples. According to the Agamas, the daily rituals are called ''Nityotsava'', weekly festivals as ''Varotsava'', monthly as ''Masotsava'', alignment with stars as ''rkotsava'' and annual festivals as ''Mahotsava'' or '' Brahmotsava''. Most of the temple towns in South India have prakarams and streets that accommodate an elaborate festival calendar in which dramatic processions circumambulate the shrines at varying distances from the centre. The temple chariots used in processions are progressively larger in size based on the size of the concentric streets.


Utsava

''Utsava'' is a
Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...
term referring to festival and the festivities associated. ''
Agamas Religion *Āgama (Buddhism), a collection of Early Buddhist texts *Āgama (Hinduism), scriptures of several Hindu sects *Jain literature (Jain Āgamas), various canonical scriptures in Jainism Other uses * ''Agama'' (lizard), a genus of lizards ...
'', the diction for temples, refer to utsava as specific festivals associated with the temples. More than the religious aspects, the utsavas are meant to celebrate along with the society and thanking the elements of nature. People belonging to various castes and tribes come together to celebrate the event, which is always associated with a feast for all. The utsavas are usually associated with a season like Vasanthotsava celebrated during spring season. The events usually have parades and the festive deities are taken around various streets to indicate that god is accessible to all. According to Agamas, the daily rituals are called ''Nityotsava'', weekly festivals as ''Varotsava'', monthly as ''Masotsava'', alignment with stars as ''rkotsava'' and annual festivals as ''Mahotsava'' or ''Brahmotsava''.


Types of utsavas

Most South Indian temples have daily, weekly, monthly and annual rituals, and festivals. There are weekly rituals like ' and ', fortnightly rituals like '' pradosham'' and monthly festivals like '' amavasai'' (new moon day), ''kiruthigai'', '' pournami'' (full moon day) and ''sathurthi'' when ablution and special poojas are performed.
Brahmotsavam A brahmotsava (), also rendered mahotsava and tiruvila () is the principal festival of a Hindu temple. Commonly held in South India, the ''murti''s of a temple's deities are dressed in silk garments, decorated with ornaments, garlands, and other ...
is the chief festival celebrated in most of the temples for ten or more days. The word is a combination of two
Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...
words—''
Brahma Brahma (, ) is a Hindu god, referred to as "the Creator" within the Trimurti, the triple deity, trinity of Para Brahman, supreme divinity that includes Vishnu and Shiva.Jan Gonda (1969)The Hindu Trinity, Anthropos, Bd 63/64, H 1/2, pp. 212– ...
'' and ''utsavam'' (festival)—and Brahma reportedly conducted the first festival. ''Brahma'' also means "grand" or "large". Vasanthotsavam, the spring festival, is celebrated in temples to worship lord of nature and their elements and natural forces as well as lord and deity of directions and environment. There are special festivals like Theerthavari, Garuda Sevai and Sapthastanam when the festival deities of many temples are taken in chariots or vehicles to the main temple in the region. Devotees perform various rituals on the festive deities.


City-scape and festivals

Most of the historic South Indian cities like
Madurai Madurai ( , , ), formerly known as Madura, is a major city in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the cultural capital of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Madurai District, which is ...
,
Srirangam Srirangam is a neighbourhood in the city of Tiruchirappalli in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. A river island, Srirangam is bounded by the Kaveri River on one side and its distributary Kollidam on the other side. Considered as the first among ...
, Sirkali, Tiruvarur, and Chidambaram were built around large temples in the center of the city. The streets of the city act as extension of the prakarams of the temple. These squares retain their traditional names of Aadi, Chittirai, Avani-moola and Masi streets, corresponding to the Tamil month names and also to the festivals associated. The temple prakarams and streets accommodate an elaborate festival calendar in which dramatic processions circumambulate the shrines at varying distances from the centre. The temple chariots used in processions are progressively larger in size based on the size of the concentric streets. The festive images are carried out in various palanquins or mounts with figures of peacock, elephant,
Garuda Garuda (; ; Vedic Sanskrit: , ) is a Hindu deity who is primarily depicted as the mount (''vahana'') of the Hindu god Vishnu. This divine creature is mentioned in the Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain faiths. Garuda is also the half-brother of the D ...
or large chariots. Ancient
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 ...
classics record the temple as the centre of the city and the surrounding streets. The city's axes were aligned with the four-quarters of the compass, and the four gateways of the temple provided access to it. The wealthy and higher echelons of the society were placed in streets close to the temple, while the poorest were placed in the fringe streets.


References


Further reading

* Davis, Richard H. (2009).
A Priest's Guide for the Great Festival Aghorasiva's Mahotsavavidhi
'. Oxford University Press. . pp. 25–29. * Utsavas - Sri Venkateswara Swami Temple of Greater Chicago
Sri Venkateswara Swami Temple of Greater Chicago
'


External links

{{Commons category, Utsava Festivals in India