Brahmotsava

Garuda sevai, the procession of Vishnu upon Garuda, during a brahmotsava.

A brahmotsava (Sanskrit: ब्रह्मोत्सवम्, romanized: brahmōtsavam), also rendered mahotsava[1] and tiruvila (Tamil: திருவிழா, romanized: tiruviḻā) is the principal festival of a Hindu temple.[2]

Commonly held in South India, the murtis of a temple's deities are dressed in silk garments, decorated with ornaments, garlands, and other paraphernalia. They are carried from the sanctum to the streets upon palanquins or chariots by adherents, accompanied by musicians and crowds of devotees, who ritually venerate the deity. Brahmotsavas are held in a grand-scale in major temples of Tamil Nadu, such as the Ranganathaswamy Temple of Srirangam, the Nataraja Temple of Chidambaram, and the Meenakshi Temple of Madurai.[3]

  1. ^ Keul, István (2017-02-06). Consecration Rituals in South Asia. BRILL. p. 120. ISBN 978-90-04-33718-3.
  2. ^ Ray, Himanshu Prabha (2023-05-30). The Hindu Temple and Its Sacred Landscape. Simon and Schuster. p. 44. ISBN 978-1-64722-908-5.
  3. ^ Aghoraśivācārya (2010). A Priest's Guide for the Great Festival. Oxford University Press. p. 15. ISBN 978-0-19-537852-8.