THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Parnasala dedication celebrations concluded at Santhigiri Ashram with thousands taking part in the Poorna Kumbha Mela on Monday.
Devotees from various parts of the country, after taking an 11-day fast, streamed into the ashram to attend the Kumbha Mela. The rituals started at 3 p.m. when pots wrapped in yellow cloth were taken out from the prayer hall to the yagnasala. It was preceded by a procession featuring palanquins and ornamental umbrellas in which the sanyasins took out earthen pots carrying sanctified water (theertham) to the lotus-shaped parnasala.
Caparisoned calf elephants and rhythmic beats of panchavadya added a festive fervour to the occasion. Amid the chanting of mantras and incantations, Sishyapoojitha Amritha Jnana Thapaswini, head of Santhigiri Ashram, led the Poorna Kumbha Mela rituals. Scores of devotees gathered behind the sanyasins as the congregation circumambulated the parnasala and converged at the final resting place of Guru. The pots were offered in prayer at the parnasala.
The Poorna Kumbha Mela is celebrated to commemorate the day on which the disciples of Karunakara Guru dedicated themselves to the service of Guru after realising the divinity of Guru. It is believed that participation in the Mela results in the purgation of the soul.
