Utsavar
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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 ...
, utsava murti,James Lochtefeld (2002), The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism: A-M, The Rosen Publishing Group, , page 726 utsavar or uthsavar, is a form of a ''
murti In the Hinduism, Hindu tradition, a ''murti'' (, ) is a devotional image, such as a statue or icon, of a Hindu deities, deity or Hindu saints, saint used during ''Puja (Hinduism), puja'' and/or in other customary forms of actively expressing d ...
'' (icon) which represents a
deity A deity or god is a supernatural being considered to be sacred and worthy of worship due to having authority over some aspect of the universe and/or life. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines ''deity'' as a God (male deity), god or god ...
. The portable utsavar is employed in the tradition of temple processions, serving as a substitute for the central idol present in the temple shrine, called the mulavar.


Etymology

The term ''utsava'' is broken down into two root words ''ut'' - "removal" and ''sava'' - "sorrows." Collectively known as "removal of worldly sorrows." The second term ''murti'' means "manifestation of divinity." ''Utsava murti'' is also translated as "festival image" or "idol used for procession."


Images

An utsava murti is generally made of metal, whereas a mulavar murti is usually made of stone. Ablutions are performed on the utsavar images during daily prayer, or during festivals. It is performed in a sequence with various material like milk, curd, honey, and sugar. These are meant to indicate five elemental aspects of earth, and with the ablution, prayers are sought to please the five natural elements. The metal images of utsavar, or the utsava murtis, are usually placed in the sanctum sanctorum during the day time of worship. During the last worship practice, called ''Ardhajamam'' in South Indian temples, there is a lengthy proceeding when sacred verses praising the deities are recited. These utsavars are usually made of bronze and stored in the respective shrines of the deities. ''
Panchaloha ''Panchaloha'' (), also called ''Pañcadhātu'' (), is a term for traditional five-metal alloys of sacred significance, used for making Hinduism, Hindu temple ''murti'' and jewellery. Composition The composition is laid down in the ''Shilpa sh ...
'' is a term for traditional five-metal alloys of sacred significance used for making Hindu temple icons. The tradition started from the
Chola The Chola Empire, which is often referred to as the Imperial Cholas, was a medieval thalassocratic empire based in southern India that was ruled by the Chola dynasty, and comprised overseas dominions, protectorates and spheres of influence ...
era from the 7th century, and continues during the modern era.


Traditions

The utsava deities are carried upon palanquins, after which the doors of the sanctum are shut. The festive images are carried out in various palanquins or mounts, with figures of a 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. There are special festivals like ''Theerthavari, Garuda Sevai,'' and ''Sapthastanam'', when the festival deities of many temples are placed upon chariots or vehicles to the main temple in the region. Devotees perform various rituals on the festive deities. The utsava deities are taken to a decorated room, anointed with sandal paste, and decorated with silk. After the proceedings, the milk offered to the deities is given to the devotees. Some
Shiva Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...
temples have swings designed for the images, while some have rooms decorated with mirrors. During the ''Kumbabhishekam'', or the coronation event, the temple is renovated, while the mulavar image is moved to a temporary location. The practice is called ''Balalayam'', during which the festival image takes precedence.


Festivals

Several 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,
Thiruvarur Thiruvarur () also spelt as Tiruvarur is a municipality in the Indian States and territories of India, state of Tamil Nadu. It is the administrative headquarters of Thiruvarur district and Thiruvarur taluk. The temple chariot of the Thyagaraja t ...
, and
Chidambaram Chidambaram is a major town and municipality in Cuddalore district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, on the banks of the Vellar River where it meets the Bay of Bengal. It is the headquarters of the Chidambaram taluk. The town is believed to b ...
were built around large temples in the center of the city. The streets of the city act as extension of the ''prakarams'' (compounds) of the temple. These squares retain their traditional names of Adi, 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.


References


External links

{{Worship in Hinduism Hindu iconography Religious objects Hindu temple architecture