Significance of the Maasi Maham-Siva & Sakthi Valipaadu

[virarajendra]

Author - Virarajendra

Significance of the Maasi Maham - Siva & Sakthi Valipaadu

Among the many Valipaaduhal to the - "God as Siva'' - coming in each month of a year, and observed by the Tamil Saivites in Tamil Nadu and elsewhere, the one which falls in the Tamil month of Maasi (13th of February to 14th of March) is the "Maasi Maham", which is sacred to God Siva.

Maham is the tenth star (natchaththiram = constellation) among the twenty seven stars in the Hindu astrological system. The Maham natchaththiram which falls in the month of Maasi very often in conjunction with the full moon day (Mulu Nilaa = Paurnami), is taken as the “Maasi Maham” Valipaadu day.

The “Maasi Maham” is essentially a day of Siva Valipaadu as confirmed by the Koyil Puranam - a Tamil treatise (dating thirteenth century) on Chidambaram the holiest Siva Shrine in Tamil Nadu.

It describes a mythical legend attributed to this celebrations as follows:

“Thesi polipothu nirai atputhan oliser nat Kadal ethir thikalvuttru paasam thalaiara arula Salapathi paravi thinam ithu padivu uttror aasu attru uyar kathi adaiya, kadavulum anuka pera, vara mathu petraan, "Maasi thiru Maham" ena mattrathu thaha mali potr kodiyathu poliviththaan.”

Koyilpuranam - Thiruvilaa charukkam by Umapathi Sivachariyar (In Tamil)

The mythological story behind same is that when "God Siva appeared opposite the sea in the vicinity" where Varunan (Salapathi) remained submerged for his sins, blessed him and freed him from his desires. Varunan in turn worshipped him and requested a varam that anyone who bathes in the sea fronts will be freed from desires and attain high mukthi, and for God Siva to be in presence there on this occasion of Maasi thiru Maham being the tenth day of the month of Masi to bless them.

Hence the "Maasi Maham" festival is essentially a day of "Siva Worship" with sacred Sea Baths at the Sea Fronts and worship of God Siva at the temples adjoing them. This is confirmed by a reference in the 2nd Thirumurai of Tamil Saiva Saint Thirugnanasampanthar dating to mid seventh century (around A.D.650) which is as follows.

“madal arnththa thengin Myilaiyaar "Maasi Kadalaattu" kandaan Kabaleechcharam amarnththaan adalaane earurum adihal adi paravi nadamaadal kaanaathe pothiyo poompaavai”

2nd Thirumurai - Pathikam 47, paadal 6 by Saint Thirugnanasampantha Nayanar (In Tamil)

The army commander of the Chola king Vikrama Chola (A.D.1118-1135) Mavitkooththan Kalingarayan among his religiuos works at the Chidambaram temple, also built a special Mantapam for Maasi Maham Kadaladuthal festival.

"Maasi Kadalaadi" veetrirukka Mandapamum pesa attra avatrai peruvaliyum Eesatkku then Puliyoorke amaiththaan Koothan thisai anaiththu man puliyanai nadakka vaiththu”

South Indian Inscriptions – Vol 4, Page 8 (Chidambaram Kalvettukal in Tamil)

During the rule of Chola and Pandiya kings in TamilNadu donations have been made to temples to assist them in conducting this Maasi Maham festival, and details of two such donations are as follows.

"In the 27th year (A.D.1045) of the Chola Emperor Rajadhirajadeva - 1 (A.D.1018-1054), a gift of money was made by members of the (village) assembly of Manali alias Singavishnu Chathurvedimanagalam. The money was deposited for conducting the festival of "Maasi Maham" at Thiruvottriyur Adhipurisvara Siva temple

Inscriptions of the Madras Presidency – by V.Rangacharya, Vol 1, page 441

"In the 6th year (A.D. 1256) of Jatavarman Sundara Pandiyan (A.D.1251-1264) on the Maham Natchatiram day gifted 350 panams for meeting the expenses of the festival called "Maasi Thirunaal" in the temple Thiru Maanikkamalai Udaiyar Siva temple in Kurunagainadu" at the present Ratnagiri in Thirutchi district.

Inscriptions of the Madras Presidency - by V.Rangacharya, Vol 3, page 1521

Maasi Maham thus has been an annual festival in the Tamil month of Masi. But once in every twelve years - in addition to the full moon being in conjunction with the Maham natchaththiram in the month of Maasi, the moving of the planet Jupiter into the Singa Rasi too takes place simultaneously.

The Maasi Maham which comes with this astronomical combination is called the "Mahaa Maham" and celebrated especially in Kumbakonam at Adi Kumbeswaran temple in a very big way. There are two theerththams (tanks) at this temple. One tank is called Mahaa Maham tank while the other is called as Pottramarai tank, where the worshippers on the Mahaa maham day had their Sacred Baths, in addition to the practice of having Sacred Baths at the Sea Fronts, and the worship of God Siva in the adjoining Siva Temples.



Courtesy: G.Muniswamy





The Tamil Saiva Saint Thirugnanasambanthar on his pilgrimage to the holy shrines in Tamil Nadu went to this temple - known as Kudanthai Kaaronam temple during his time - (Kumbeswaran Siva Temple) in Kumbakonam.

"......காவார்பொழில்சூழ்ந் தழகார் குடந்தைக் காரோணத்தாரே...."
".....குழகர் குடமூக்கில்
தீர்ப்பாருடலில் அடுநோயவலம் வினைகள் நலியாமைக்
காப்பார் காலன் அடையாவண்ணங் காரோணத்தாரே".

Second Thirumurai - Thirugnasambandar's Thevaara Thirupathikam on Thirunagai Kaaronam

In describing his vist to this temple Sage Poet Seikkeelar in his Tamil religious treatise on 63 Tamil Saiva Saints - namely the "Periyapuranam" praises the big theerththam therein, and mentions having a sacred bath or dip in same is held as sacred as having a bath in the holy river Gangai on this Mahaa Maham day which is as follows:

“Poomaruvum Gangai muthat punithamaam perun theerththam "Maa Maham" thaan aaduthatku vanthu vali padum Koil”

Periyapuranam by Seikkeelar (In Tamil) – Thirugnanasampantha Swamihal Puranam, Verse 409

Even the Tamil Saiva Saint Thirunavukkarasar refers to the holy theertha Tanks at Kumbakonam in the vicinity of Kudanthai Keelkottam Siva temple as follows.

“....thavi muthat kaviri nal yamunai, gangai, saraswathi, pottramarai, putkarani, then neer koviyodu, kumari varu theerththam soolnththa kudanthai keel koattatthu eng Kooththanaare....”

6th Thirumurai (In Tamil) - pathikam 75 - paadal 10

This is further confirmed by the Tamil Saint Thirunavukkarasar who has made the following reference in his pathikam on the sacred shrine Thiru Kudamuukku also in Kumbakonam as follows:

“Gangai yal aval kanni enappadum
kongaiyal uraiyum Kudamuukkile”

“Godavari uraiyum Kudamuukkile"

“Samiyodu Saraschuwathi aval
Komiyum uraiyum Kudamuukkile”

5th Thirumurai (In Tamil) – pathkam 22 – paadals 3,4,8

"In the year Saka 1445 (A.D.1523) the Vijayanagara king Krisna Devaraya (A.D.1509-29) paid a vist to Kumbakonam for the "Mahaa Maham" festival immediately after his return from his war expedition in the north"

Inscriptions of the Madras Presidency – by V.Rangacharya, Vol 1, page 399

In the present day we see the statues of the deities namely Siva and Parvathi and Vishnu, are brought to the Mahaa Maham tank from the Siva and Vishnu Temples within Kumbakonam district adjacent to Kaveri River, and at the auspicious time devotees both men and women have a holy bath or a dip either in the Mahaa Maham tank or in the river Kaveri.

It is believed that a bath or a dip in the waters of Mahaa Maham tank at the auspicious time provides the same results of having all sins washed away, by taking a bath in all the nine holy rivers of India. After the bath the devotees offer their holy prayers to the Lord and seek his salvation and blessings.

This "Mahaa Maham" Festival takes place once in 12 years on the day of the aforesaid planetary combination, and the festival is celebrated where devotees from far distance places from India throng to Kumbakonam in many "hundred thousands", and take bath or dip in the Holy theertham - the Mahaa Maham tank.

The Video URL of the "Maha Maham Festival" celebrated at Kumbakonam in Tamil Nadu every twelve years is as follows:

The Mahaa Maham day festival was last celeberated on 22/2/2004, and this year (2016) the Maasi Maham Siva Valipaadu falls on the 22nd of February, being the day the Maham Natchaththiram in conjunction with the full moon as per Vaakkiya & Thirukkanitha Panchankams)

This Mahaa Maham festival which falls every twelve years under the above planetary combination, and for the same auspicious reasons, is also celebrated as Mahaa Kumbh (as Kumba Mela) Festival in the north of India especially in at Haridwar, Varanaasi, and in many other places in North India, and the sacred bath or dip is undertaken in the other holy rivers in those regions.

Further according to the mythical legend Maasi Makam is said to be the birth natchaththiram on which Daakshayini (the Goddess Parvathi) was born as daughter to Daksha. Hence Maasi Makam is also celebrated in Sakthi Temples in Tamil Nadu and elsewhere with Pusai Valipaaduhal conducted in a big way having this significance.