Sunday, October 12, 2014 in Singapore. Hindus, in their traditional garb, converged barefoot and waving neem tree branches in front of the
fascinating Sri Mariamman Temple along South Bridge Road. They gather to honor Draupadi, a deified character in the epic Mahabharata. Draupadi was said to have walked barefooted across a burning coal to
prove her loyalty, fidelity, innocence and sincerity to her husbands (she had four).
The festivity is marked
by non-stop revelry of music, chants and dances. Colorful garlands and flowers adorn the giant icon of Draupadi in a chapel within the temple compound. The whole temple complex was richly decorated with colorful garlands and flowers, making the event a grand feast of sounds and sights.
The highlight of the festival is the thimithi, where
devotees, young and old, imitate Draupadi's ordeal by walking over the burning coal. The priest
begins the ritual by walking across the burning pit with a sacred pot, Karagam, on
his head. He is then followed by the devotees. At the end of the ember pit, is a pond of goat's milk where the the participants wade.
Then they stain their feet with turmeric.
While
the ritual honors a Goddess, only men are allowed to
participate. Devotees believe that the act of fire-walking will purify and bless them. It is also widely believed that Draupadi grants the prayers of those who participate in the ritual.
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