Festival of Milk Pots Sanctified offerings

   Text and pix by Dushiyanthini Kanagasabapathipillai

Vow to fulfill

“Aadi Pooram”, a special day dedicated to the Goddess was celebrated recently. This year, there was added fervour to the festival, as it fell on a Friday. Colourfully dressed female devotees carried heavy pots of pure milk on their heads, and walked through the streets in Bambalapitty and Wellawatte.

Devotees thronged the Sammankodu Sri Kathirvelayutha Swamy (popularly known as Maanikka Pillaiyaar temple) temple in Bambalapitty early in the morning. They filled their brass and stainless steel pots with pure milk, covered the pots with yellow pieces of cloth , decorated the pots with fresh flower garlands, holy ash, sandalwood, vermilion and Margosa leaves, carried them into the temple, offered  prayers, and still with the pots of milk on their heads, walked in procession to Mayurapathy Sri Paththirakaali Amman temple in Wellawatte.

 Divine parade

Divinely decorated milk pot

Little girl's play time

 Many women have made vows to continue the same ritual

A handful of young Hindu boys too participated in this year’s Festival of Milk Pots. The youngest male devotees carried two tiny pots of pure milk on their shoulders with bundles of fresh sugarcane hung on either side.

 For the youngest devotees

With mother's help

 With father's help

Joined to fulfill a vow

Over 3,000 devotees participated in this year’s Festival of Milk Pots, organizers claim.

 Parade in Bambalapitty

 

Colourful parade leaves the temple

 Parade on barefoot

Decorated temple tower

Parade on pavement

Siblings on a parade

 Neat walk in Bambalapitty

Devotee with divine accessories

Hours of parade

 

Pricked and pinned face

 

Mix and match

 Hindu devotees celebrating a festival

COURTESY: Ceylon Today