Sapthasthanam festival is held every year at Thiruvaiyar in
Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu in the Tamil month of Chithirai (April - May). Sapthasthanam Festival that takes place in Chithirai when
Nandikeswarar, on a horse Vahana, along with his wife Swayambirakaasai, on a
palanquin go on a seven temple procession around Thiruvaiyaru along with
Ayaarappar and Aram Valartha Nayaki.
The festival begins from the Pancha Natheeswarar temple.
On this day, Lord Pancha Natheeswarar starts on a procession with
his consort Goddess Parvati. Shiva ganas like Nandi and Bhringi, devotees and
others visit six pilgrim centers around Thiruvaiyaru.
These holy places are Thirupazhanam, known as Kaushika
Ashrama, Tiruccorruturai (Gautama Ashrama), Thiruvedhikudi (Vyasa Ashram),
Thirukandiyur, Tirupuntturutti and Tiruneittanam.
At these centers, Lord Panchanadeeswarar is received by the
local deities like Apatasahayeshwara, Odavaneshwara, Vedanayakeshwara,
Virateshwara, Pusphavaneshwara and Ghrtasthaneshwara.
The Lord returns to Thiruvaiyaru at the conclusion of the
tour. These places along with Thiruvaiyaru are called sapthasthanams.
Thousands of devotees join the procession and march, singing
devotional songs and visiting all the seven shrines.
They
are welcomed at each of the temples with flowers, ghee, sacred food accompanied
with the Vedic Chants and joined by the respective Lords and Ambal at Thirupazhanam, Thiruchotruthurai, Thiru Vethikudi, Thiru Kandiyur, Thiru
Bhoonthuruththi and Thiru Neithaanam. It is quite a sight to see the deities
go around and finally congregate at Pancha Natheeswarar temple in Thiruvaiyaru on the Vishaka nakshatra day in Chithirai.
According to tradition, great music composers like Tyagaraja
and Muttuswami Dikshitar used to accompany the sapthasthanam procession,
singing their compositions along with their disciples.
In recent years, the well known composer papanasham Shiva
accompanied this procession for many years, singing devotional songs.
Bibliography
History of Srivaishnavism (1923) T A Gopinath Madra University
Chennai
Encyclopedia of Hinduism Volume IX page 256 - IHRF