TELUK INTAN, Teluk Intan, a historic town situated in Hilir Perak is a popular religious destination for Hindus in the country and hogs the limelight whenever the Chithirai Pournami festival arrives.
Chithirai Pournami is a religious festival held to commemorate the first full moon after the Tamil New Year which was celebrated on April 14, and is associated with penance and atonement and a day to repent by fulfilling vows.
It is also believed to be an auspicious day to erase our karma or sins from past birth that usually hinder all our efforts towards a happy and prosperous life. As per sacred texts, Chitragupta-the official Akashic recorder or the ‘good and bad deeds’ bookkeeper of Lord Yama-was born on the full moon of Chitthirai month.
Those seeking to relieve their burden of karma and seek his blessings attend temple poojas and donate to the poor on this day.
The full moon of Chitra in the zodiac sign of Libra is the Moon of ‘Balancing Karma’. To this energy, Chitra star adds energies of ‘Abundance’
and ‘Regeneration’. Therefore, the Moon, shining on Earth on this day overflows with positive and creative energies – the energies that are effective in clearing the negative karma that restricts you from enjoying wealth, health, and relationships.
You can also experience spiritual awakening on this day through meditation — especially, the mediation practice that involves establishing a connection between the crown chakra and heart chakra in your subtle human body.
Every year about 10,000 to 20,000 Hindu devotees from all over the country camp in Teluk Intan for several days to usher in the religious festival celebrated at the Sri Thendayuthapani Temple which is situated at Jalan Bandar, here.
Sri Thendayuthapani Temple trustee A. Meyappam said the festival will start at 4.30am tomorrow with devotees carrying ‘paal koodam’ (milk pots) to fulfil their vows.
‘Starting 11am, there will perform the prayers in the temple which is more than 100 years old and carry the ‘kavadi’ as well as break coconuts to fulf
il their devine vows.
“We also prepare traditional Indian vegetarian food for lunch tomorrow, complete with appalam, payasam, bendi masala gravy, kari parpu, vegetables that one can enjoy once served in babana leaves.
“An elaborately decorated chariot procession will start at 8pm in front of the temple and cover a distance of 1.5km around the Teluk Intan town tomorrow night,” he told Bernama when contacted, here today.
Source: BERNAMA News Agency