# Brahmotsava

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[[File:Garuda Sevai.jpg|thumb|280x280px|''Garuda sevai'', the procession of [Vishnu](/source/Vishnu) upon [Garuda](/source/Garuda), during a brahmotsava.]]{{Short description|Principal festival of a Hindu temple}}

A '''brahmotsava''' ({{Langx|sa|ब्रह्मोत्सवम्|translit=brahmōtsavam}}), also rendered '''mahotsava'''<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Keul |first=István |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=H4ItDgAAQBAJ&dq=brahmotsava+festival+image&pg=PA120 |title=Consecration Rituals in South Asia |date=2017-02-06 |publisher=BRILL |isbn=978-90-04-33718-3 |pages=120 |language=en}}</ref> and '''tiruvila''' ({{Langx|ta|திருவிழா|translit=tiruviḻā}}) is the principal festival of a [Hindu temple](/source/Hindu_temple).<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ray |first=Himanshu Prabha |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-Nm8EAAAQBAJ&dq=brahmotsava+festival&pg=PA44 |title=The Hindu Temple and Its Sacred Landscape |date=2023-05-30 |publisher=Simon and Schuster |isbn=978-1-64722-908-5 |pages=44 |language=en}}</ref> 

Commonly held in [South India](/source/South_India), the ''[murti](/source/murti)''s of a temple's deities are dressed in silk garments, decorated with ornaments, garlands, and other paraphernalia. They are carried from the [sanctum](/source/Garbhagriha) to the streets upon palanquins or [chariots](/source/Ratha) 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](/source/Tamil_Nadu), such as the [Ranganathaswamy Temple](/source/Ranganathaswamy_Temple%2C_Srirangam) of [Srirangam](/source/Srirangam), the [Nataraja Temple](/source/Nataraja_Temple%2C_Chidambaram) of [Chidambaram](/source/Chidambaram), and the [Meenakshi Temple](/source/Meenakshi_Temple) of [Madurai](/source/Madurai).<ref>{{Cite book |last=Aghoraśivācārya |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ruAfDP0OZyEC&pg=PA15 |title=A Priest's Guide for the Great Festival |date=2010 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-537852-8 |pages=15 |language=en}}</ref>

== Etymology ==
Literally meaning "the festival of [Brahma](/source/Brahma)", the creator deity is regarded to conduct the ceremony of this event.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Smith |first=David |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fTLlcGlkdjkC&pg=PA76 |title=The Dance of Siva: Religion, Art and Poetry in South India |date=2003-11-13 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-52865-8 |pages=76 |language=en}}</ref>
== Description ==
The event is commonly classified into three categories based on duration: ''sāttvika'' (nine days), ''rājasa'' (seven days), and ''tāmasa'' (five days).<ref>{{Cite book |last=Rao |first=Saligrama Krishna Ramachandra |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=epDXAAAAMAAJ&q=Brahmotsava |title=Āgama-kosha: Utsavas |date=1994 |publisher=Kalpatharu Research Academy |pages=26 |language=sa}}</ref>

In Tamil Nadu, an annual brahmotsava festival occurs for a period of ten days.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Dehejia |first=Vidya |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wZIIEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA20 |title=The Thief Who Stole My Heart: The Material Life of Sacred Bronzes from Chola India, 855–1280 |date=2021-05-11 |publisher=Princeton University Press |isbn=978-0-691-20259-4 |pages=20 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Waghorne |first=Joanne Punzo |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dHo8DwAAQBAJ&dq=brahmotsava+festival+image&pg=PA86 |title=Diaspora of the Gods: Modern Hindu Temples in an Urban Middle-Class World |date=2004-09-16 |publisher=Oxford University Press, USA |isbn=978-0-19-515663-8 |pages=86 |language=en}}</ref>

On the final day of the festival, called the ''rathotsava'', the [festival image](/source/Utsava_murti) of the deity is slowly pulled through the streets in the performance of a [chariot procession](/source/Ratha_Yatra).<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Mittal |first1=Sushil |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8CXU0MJmJboC&pg=RA1-PT557 |title=The Hindu World |last2=Thursby |first2=Gene |date=2004-08-02 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-134-60875-1 |pages=557 |language=en}}</ref>

In the [brahmotsava](/source/Srivari_Brahmotsavam) festival of [Tirumala](/source/Tirumala), Brahma is believed to have worshipped [Venkateshvara](/source/Venkateshvara). The rituals occur for a period of nine days.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Nair |first=Shantha |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CY9eAAAAQBAJ&dq=Brahmotsavam&pg=PT235 |title=Sri Venkateshwara |date=2014-01-07 |publisher=Jaico Publishing House |isbn=978-81-8495-445-6 |pages=235 |language=en}}</ref>[[File:Sri Laskhmi chennakesava swami brahmotsavam 19.JPG|thumb|280x280px|Festival images of Vishnu and [Lakshmi](/source/Lakshmi) during a brahmotsava.]]
=== Events ===
The ten-day events of the festival generally conform to the following ceremonies in the [Shaiva](/source/Shaivism) tradition in Tamil Nadu; similar events with varying consorts and ''[vahana](/source/vahana)''s (mounts) are observed in the [Vaishnava](/source/Vaishnavism) tradition:<ref>{{Cite book |last=M. Arunachalam |url=http://archive.org/details/Acc.No.8112CulturalHeritageOfHinduism1982 |title=Peeps into the Cultural Heritage of Hinduism |date=1982 |pages=96–97}}</ref>

# '''Day 1''': The ''dhvajarohana'' or the ''kodiyetral'' (flag-hoisting) ceremony is observed on the first day, in which the [flag](/source/Dhvaja) of [Shiva](/source/Shiva) is raised over the ''[dhvajastambha](/source/dhvajastambha)'' (flagstaff) of the temple complex after the ritual performance by [priests](/source/Pujari). The deity is regarded to offer a ''[darshana](/source/Darshan_(Indian_religions))'' (auspicious sight) to devotees under the [''sthala vriksha''](/source/Sthala_Vriksha) (temple tree). 
# '''Day 2''': The festival image of the deity is placed on the mounts named Suryaprabha and Chandraprabha for a procession on the streets, an event that symbolises preservation.
# '''Day 3''': The festival image of the deity is placed on the mounts of [Nandi](/source/Nandi_(Hinduism)) and [Bhuta](/source/Bhoota_(ghost)) for a procession on the streets, an event that symbolises dissolution.
# '''Day 4''': The festival image of the deity is placed on the mount of a [naga](/source/N%C4%81ga) for a procession on the streets, an event that symbolises obscuration.
# '''Day 5''': The festival image of the deity is placed on a car called the ''sapparam'' for a procession on the streets.
# '''Day 6''':  The festival image of the deity is placed on an elephant for a procession on the streets.
# '''Day 7''': The ''tirukkalyanam'', the ceremonial enactment of the wedding of Shiva and [Parvati](/source/Parvati) is performed.
# '''Day 8''': The festival image of the deity is carried in the deity's form of [Bhikshatana](/source/Bhikshatana).
# '''Day 9''': The ''[ratha yatra](/source/Ratha_Yatra)'' (car festival) is performed, where the images of Shiva, his consort, and associated deities are carried for a procession on the streets, the highlight of the events.
# '''Day 10''': The festival images are carried back to the temple, and the weapon of the deity is offered a ritual bath. The flag erected on the first day is lowered, symbolising the end of the festival.

== Literature ==
The ''[Mahabharata](/source/Mahabharata)'' features a brahmotsava in the [Virata Parva](/source/Virata_Parva), in which a wrestling match is described between [Bhima](/source/Bhima) and a wrestler named Jimuta.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Mani |first=Vettam |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mvXsDwAAQBAJ&dq=brahmotsava+chariot&pg=PA356 |title=Puranic Encyclopedia: A Comprehensive Work with Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature |date=2015-01-01 |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |isbn=978-81-208-0597-2 |pages=356 |language=en}}</ref> 

== References ==

Category:Hindu festivals
Category:Hindu festivals in India
<references />{{Hindu festivals}}
Category:Festivals in Tamil Nadu

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Brahmotsava](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brahmotsava) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brahmotsava?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.