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Festival to Appease Lord
Muruga THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Hindu festival of 'Agni Kaavadi', meant to appease Lord Muruga, son of Lord Shiva, was organised in Thiruvananthapuram, Capital of Kerala State, on Sunday, October 13.
Lord Muruga, also known as Karthikeyan, is the second son of Lord Shiva, the god of destruction. Shiva's first son was elephant god Ganesha. In a ritualistic show of gratefulness, devotees whose prayers had been granted pierced themselves with arrows amid chanting of hymns and playing of the traditional percussion instrument, nadaswaram. The celebrations involve a unique dance or 'Kaavadi' with 27 lighted lamps hanging around the body of a devotee in a specially built steel frame. Devotees dance through the streets, surrounded by a large number of people, to the temple of Lord Shiva. -ANI |
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