Shashti Devi Devasena

Musukunda Chakravarthy is considered to be one of the 12 Murugan Adiyars° He holds the distinction of having witnessed Sri Murugan-Devasena wedding His backstory is an interesting one Once Lord Shiva and Devi Parvati were resting under a Bilva tree An old monkey on the tree started plucking & putting Bilva leaves on Them Lord Shiva accepted this as Bilva archana and blessed the monkey with wisdom He also ordained it to be born as a king in its next birth However the monkey wished to continue its new found devotion towards Lord Shiva It then requested Lord Shiva that it be born with a monkey-face in its next birth, so as to not forget Shiva Bhakti Since the king was born with a monkey-face, he was named Musukunda (Musu - monkey in Tamil) Musukunda Chakravarthy was also a friend☆ of Lord Indra Lord Indra invited him to His daughter Devasena's wedding where he was treated as a guest of honour King Musukunda witnessing Murugan-Devasena wedding (One can see the delight on his face o...

Lord Skanda & Sri Devasena enjoyed extensive worship in ancient Bharatvarsh Several clans, kingdoms worshipped them as tutelary deities (Kul Devta) Their worship was popular among the general populace too Following are some architectural references of ancient Kaumara worship in various states a) Odisha: Here, Skanda-Devasena were primarily worshipped as Parshwa Devtas One or more shrines were allotted to them in the outer walls of the temple i) Bhadreswar Temple, Cuttack: This shrine dates to approx. 10 C.E. Here, Lord Skanda is depicted as 4-armed and as holding a bow and arrow His upper left hand holds a serpent, & His lower right hand portrays Varada mudra Goddess Devasena stands beside Him, beautifully ornamented Her left hand is placed over Her thigh, and Her right hand portrays a mudra A peacock & a figurine are seen beside Lord Skanda A striking feature is the exquisitely carved head gear of the Lord The shrine still witnesses worship, rice & coconuts are offered...

From the  Kanthan Kudi Sthalapurana  it is seen that Devasena performed penance at Madhuvana prior to Her marriage Sri Devasena, Kandhan Kudi This incident is enacted during Panguni Uthiram and Skanda Shashti celebrations in other temples The Urchava Moorthy of Devasena is taken to Tapas Mandapa where the Goddess graces in  Tapas Kolam  (penance form) In the evening, Lord Skanda blesses Devasena and garland exchange takes place Lord Skanda, Sri Devasena, Tapas Mandapa -Thiruparankundram

This is a 5-day festival dedicated to Sri Devasena at Thiruparankundram Murugan temple It is celebrated in the month of Margashirsa (Margazhi) Sri Devasena's Murti is brought to Urchava Mandapa at the temple The following rituals are observed Combing Devi's hair with silver comb Cleaning Her teeth with Golden toothpick, rinsing in a silver bowl Herbal oil Abhisheka Sarva Alankara (Full Alankara) Deepa Arathana On the final day, Sri Devasena is taken on a procession (Veethi Ula) This is is the only time of the year when Sri Devasena goes on a procession alone, all other times Lord Skanda accompanies Her Devotees are given herbal oil as Prasad, which is said to have medicinal properties Sri Devasena, Herbal Oil festival over the years Deepa Arathana at Urchava Mandapa Fifth day procession (Note the elaborate Hair Alankara)

  “Skandapatni Suryasahodari Chhathi Maiya ki Jai” Chhath Puja/Suryashashti Vrat is celebrated as a four-day festival The step-by-step procedure is given as follows Preparation: One day before the festival, a dip in the Holy Ganga is taken Some Gangajal is brought home for purification purpose If one lives in a far away place, this process is performed at a nearby holy river First Day : The house & surroundings are thoroughly cleaned This is followed by purification of family members and the house with Gangajal brought on the previous day Fast is observed with only a one-time meal consumption All articles in the house need to be purified Second Day : Fast is observed without consumption of any eatable/water till sunset At sunset, after sun and moon worship, fast is broken following Prasad distribution Traditional prasad - Chappati, Kheer, bananas Third Day : Chathth Puja - Art The main day of Suryashashti Vrat The setting sun is worshipped at river banks Overnight camps are set...

Panguni Uthiram , the wedding day of Lord Skanda & Sri Devasena is celebrated with great pomp and splendour in Murugan temples Following are the rituals involved - i) Tapas Mandapa: Please refer to my blog ' Significance of Tapas Mandapa in Panguni Uthiram celebration ' ii) Main ceremony: Here, the Bride's father, Lord Indra pours holy water over the conjoined hands of Sri Skanda-Devasena Sometimes, betel leaves and gold coin are also placed This ritual marks their status as a married couple iii) Mangalsutra: Here, Lord Skanda ties the Thirumangalyam around Sri Devasena's neck Vedic mantras and special prayers are chanted along with auspicious music (Getti Melam) iv) Oonjal ceremony: Here Sri Skanda-Devasena are seated on a swing (oonjal) Devotees sing songs and special pooja, aarati is performed Oonjal songs - https://youtu.be/ihnxliKdHYc https://youtu.be/ciN6LmaWEXU Sapthapathi (Special mention): Though not performed during Panguni Uthiram, this is an importa...