The entire celebration of Theemithi and all other related events commences and ends at Sri Mariamman Temple. From this day on, portions of the Tamil version of the Mahabaratha are recited each night until two days after Theemithi. To commemorate this occasion, a flag with a picture of Hanuman, the Hindu Monkey God and a representation of strength, is hoisted at Sri Mariamman Temple. The Theemithi cycle commences from the first Monday of the Tamil month of Aadi which falls around July and August. 12 Likewise, it is believed that if her devotees, are as virtuous as her, they will cross the coals unharmed. In present times, the walking of the pandaram (chief priest) across the fire with the karagam (a sacred, decorated pot), is a symbolic depiction of Draupadi being tested anew following her tribulations. The grand finale of the victory was when Draupadi walked on fire, in a ceremony known as Theemithi, to prove her virtuousness and chastity by her adherence to dharma (the path of righteous living according to the codes of conduct stipulated in the Hindu scriptures 11). Theemithi, which marks the Pandavas’ victory in the war against the Kauravas, is a re-enactment of the event. She combed her hair for the first time in 13 years upon seeing the dead bodies of the members of the Kaurava family.
9 According to the epic, Draupadi, who was gravely humiliated in a public arena by the Kauravas, vowed to leave her hair untied until her perpetrators were duly punished by her husbands.
Theemithi is celebrated on a Sunday before Deepavali ("Festival of Lights"). Similarly, throughout the period of the reading of the Mahabharata, firewalkers and other devotees take on a strict vegetarian diet and abstain from any conjugal involvement. 7ĭraupadi, wife of the five Pandava brothers, and the heroine of the epic, is portrayed as a woman who endures many misfortunes, but remains steadfast to the Hindu principles of righteousness and morality. Theemithi signifies the victory of a war in the Mahabharata that took place between two royal families, the Pandavas and Kauravas, with the former emerging victorious. It is in fact the culmination of several religious rituals that re-enact important and auspicious events from the Mahabharata. Theemithi is not just a single rite performed on a particular day.
5 The reasons for starting at Perumal Temple is uncertain, although it has been suggested that the location is selected because of convenience. 4 The firewalking ritual itself is actually a culmination of a five-kilometre walk that begins at Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple on Serangoon Road. Sri Mariamman Temple is also the oldest and largest Hindu temple in Singapore, and has been the venue for Theemithi since 1840. She presides over firewalking in South Indian rituals just like Mariamman who is the principal goddess of Sri Mariamman Temple, and this may allude to why Sri Mariamman Temple is the location for the annual firewalking ceremony in Singapore. The goddess Draupadi is the heroine of the Mahabharata, one of the major Sanskrit epics of South India, and is venerated as a common village goddess, or amman (mother goddess).
2įirewalking, a Hindu festival that originated in South India is practised by South Indians in India, Singapore, Malaysia and Sri Lanka as well as in countries that have a large population of South Indians. 1 Theemithi is part of a larger ceremony stretching over a two-and-a-half month period during which parts of the Mahabharata are re-enacted, totalling up to 18 distinguishable rites. Theemithi (also spelt Thimithi), or "firewalking", is a Hindu religious practice where devotees walk across a fire pit in exchange for a wish or blessing granted by the goddess Draupadi.
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