Tiruvannamalai is one of the grandest temples in India with a tradition of festivals. The most important of the festivals is the Karthikai Deepam.
The legend behind this Karthikai Deepam festival is that, Shiva’s wife Parvati, once closed Shiva’s eyes playfully in a flower garden at their abode in Mount Kailash. Although it was only for a moment for the gods, it wasn’t the same one moment for the people on the universe in earth. All light was taken from the universe, and the earth was submerged in darkness for years. Parvati then performed penance with other devotees of Shiva, and Lord Shiva appeared as a column of fire at the top of Annamalai hills, returning light to the world. He then merged with Parvati to form Ardhanarishvara, the half-female, half-male form of Shiva.
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