Goddess Padmavati rides ‘Pedda Sesha Vahanam’ at Tiruchanur temple on the second day of Kartheeka Brahmotsavams

On the second day of the nine-day-long ‘Kartheeka Brahmotsavams’ every year at the Tiruchanur temple, the idol of Goddess Padmavati Ammavaru was carried on ‘Pedda Sesha Vahanam’, which resembles a seven-hooded snake. The parade took place around the temple complex on Tuesday.

The goddess was adorned in the form of ‘Paramapadhanatha’ or ‘Vaikunthanatha’, a manifestation considered in the Hindu pantheon as the supreme deity who bestows ‘Moksha’ (salvation) on devotees who surrender to the divine. Sitting under the protective cover of the headdress of the serpent Adisesha, the deity offered blessings to the large number of devotees who had gathered for the festive event. In a different posture, Padmavati held the sacred disc and conch in her upper hands, the mace in her third hand, and her fourth hand was nobly resting on her knee.

Despite the continuous rain, cultural troupes including artists performed Kolatam, Chekka Bhajana and led the parade by playing various musical instruments. Women from Tiruchanur participated enthusiastically by offering kafur ‘harathi’ (a form of worship) when the procession reached their homes.

Hamsa Vahanam

Later in the evening, the deity was carried on the swan-shaped ‘Hamsa Vahanam’. In Hindu mythology, the swan is a symbol of intelligence and wisdom and symbolizes discernment, the legendary ability to separate milk from water. As a result, it is believed that witnessing the procession in the ‘Hamsa Vahanam’ will give knowledge to the observer.