Tamil Nadu: Abhishekam (ritual bathing) of the emerald Nataraja idol at the Uttarakosamangai temple.
Tamil Nadu: At the Uthirakosamangai Mangalanatha Swamy Temple in Ramanathapuram, the emerald Nataraja idol is covered with sandalwood paste, and this paste is removed only on one day during the Margazhi month.
On the occasion of Arudra Darshan, the sandalwood paste covering the emerald Nataraja idol at the Mangalanatha Swamy Temple in Uthirakosamangai, Ramanathapuram district, is removed, and a special abhishekam (ritual bathing) is performed. On that day, a large number of devotees participate and have darshan (sacred viewing) of the deity. Thus, the unique feature of this Margazhi month is that the emerald Nataraja can be seen without the sandalwood paste only during the Arudra festival.
The Mangalanatha Swamy Temple in Uthirakosamangai village houses an emerald Nataraja idol made of green stone. Because this idol is susceptible to damage from light and sound vibrations, the Nataraja is completely covered with sandalwood paste every year. It can only be viewed from behind closed iron doors.
However, the tradition is to remove this sandalwood paste and perform the abhishekam only on the day of Arudra Darshan in the Margazhi month. On Arudra day, the Nataraja shrine is opened at 8:30 AM, and a deeparadhana (offering of lamps) is performed for the emerald Nataraja.
Subsequently, the sandalwood paste is completely removed, and an abhishekam is performed with 16 types of offerings, including milk, fruits, curd, holy water, sandalwood, cardamom water, and honey, followed by another deeparadhana. Devotees will have darshan of the Maragatha Nataraja throughout the day. The following morning, sandalwood paste is applied to the Maragatha Nataraja again, and the shrine is closed.
During this one-day festival, a large number of people from different parts of the country visit the Uthirakosamangai temple to see the emerald Nataraja.
It has been announced that the sandalwood paste will be removed and the abhishekam will be performed on January 2nd of this upcoming Margazhi month.
