Thula Kavadi (துலாக்காவடி in Tamil) is a action performed by the devotees during the ceremonial worship of Lord Murugan mainly in northern Srilanka, which is also considered as the most potent propitiatory rite that a devotee of Lord Muruga undertakes to perform towards Muruga. It is often performed during the annual festival of Hindu temples in Jaffna Peninsula, especially in Thondamanaru Selvasannithi Murugan Temple. Unlike other Hindu rites, it is being only performed by male devotees due to its nature.
Generally 'Thula Kavadi' is similar to each others in shape, by hanging the devotees from a height of about 20 to 30 feet, in a moving Tractor as shown in the picture, i.e special arrangement is made in such a way that one end of couple of wooden poles are affixed to the Tractor, while the other end is left to free to move vertically, from where the devotee is held to move freely up and down, by the means of a rope of which one end is shackled to the wooden poles, while other connects to devotee.
Numbers of thick stainless steel needles are pierced on the back of devote, from where he is connected to the rope, which in turn attached to the poles in the tractor. Furthermore ‘Vels’ are pierced on the side of the mouth of the devotee.
Thula Kavadi itself is a great physical burden but the devotee who performs it, believes that he gains from offering a Thula Kavadi to the Lord are many fold greater than the little pain that he inflicts upon himself.
Photos show a Thula Kavadi seen in near Suddipuram Amman Temple, Varani of Jaffna Peninsula.
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