Monthiyan festival is celebrated at Ayyanar Temple near
Madurai. This festival is held in the Tamil month of
Aadi (July-August). It is believed that the day of the festival will be notified by god himself, through the chirping of a lizard in a particular direction.
On the day of the festival, the streets are decorated with ‘margosa’ leaves tied on ropes made of straw. Clay horses are made from the soil taken from the water tank situated in the temple premises. The horses are taken in procession to the temple dedicated to Monthiyan. These horses are then worshipped by a priest belonging to the ‘chakkiliyan’ caste. The priest places a basket-containing paddy at the feet of the horses. He then sacrifices a cock and applies its blood on the eyes of the horses. During this ritual, the priest is blindfolded with white cloth. The horse models are then carried by a procession to the Ayyanar temple. This procession is headed by a woman belonging to the Kanakkan family.
Following the worship of Lord Ayyanar, food is cooked and a sacrifice is performed. There is a ceremonial event of ‘bull chasing’. Of the bulls brought for the event, the first bull must belong to a Muslim. At the end of the bull chasing, the deity is worshipped and the festival is brought to a conclusion.
