Avanimoolam Festival at Meenakshi Temple in Madurai

Avani Moolam is a temple festival held at the Meenakshi-Sundereswarar Temple in Madurai, Tamil Nadu. It is a 10-day festival dedicated to  Divine Acts performed by Lord Shiva to help his devotees. This festival occurs in the month of Avani (August-September) in the Tamil Calendar. 

The festival portrays individual Leelas of Lord Shiva on each day. On each day, one incident is depicted and the temple idols are taken out in different Vahanas in procession through the streets surrounding the temple. 

The highlight events of the Moolam Festival are two incidents. One incident is when Lord Shiva sent fine horses to the King of Madurai as promised by His devotee Manikkavachagar. The other incident and the main event is the Pittukku Man Sumandha Kadahi. In this event, the Lord came in the disguise of a young boy to help out an old woman. There was a flood in the Vaigai River, and to control the huge flood, the king had ordered each individual in the city to carry a basketful of mud to block the breach in the banks of the River to close it. 

One old woman, who used to sell the rice delicacy ‘Puttu’ for a living was unable to help out with closing the breach. She prayed to Lord Shiva who came to her in the form of a young boy and told her he would carry basketfuls of mud to the breach for her in return for some of her Puttu. 

This legend is reenacted during the festival and forms the highlight of the 10-day festival.

In 2015  it is celebrated from August 18th to 29th August.