Temples full on Karthika Purnima

The ‘auspicious’ day also happens to be ‘Dev Diwali’

Time to pray: Devotees performing puja on the auspicious day of Karthika Purnima at a Sivalayam in the city on Monday.

HYDERABAD: Temples in twin cities on Monday swarmed with devotees on the occasion of Karthika Purnima, the full moon day in ‘Karthika Masam’ (month of Karthikam), which is considered to be a very sacred month in the Hindu almanac.

The day was celebrated with fervour and enthusiasm, as women took up fasting and conducted pujas and rituals in temples.

With the day being considered as auspicious, temples throughout the city conducted Satyanarayana vratham and Tulsi puja.

The Karthika Purnima day also holds special significance for Sikhs Guru Nanak Jayanti falls on the same day every year.

The strong Jain community of Hyderabad observed the day as Jain light festival and for others, the Karthika Purnima is also celebrated as Dev Diwali or Deepawali of Gods. The golden hued full moon lit up the sky on Monday, as devotees once again were on the streets to burst the Diwali leftover firecrackers.

Purification rituals

The Shiva temples were crammed with devotees from the wee hours of Monday, as womenfolk, attired in their best offered prayers and observed purification rituals in the temples. The women offered special Tulsi puja and took up day-long fasting. The fasting ended after sighting the full moon.

Local temples in several parts of the city, including Dilsukhnagar, L. B. Nagar, Marredpally, A. S. Rao Nagar, Vidyanagar, RTC cross roads were brimming with Kartika Purnima devotees. The evening sky looked colourful as youngsters started bursting firecrackers to observe Dev Diwali.