Kurnool: Devout women lit up Karthika Deepam at Srisailam on Sunday as the auspicious Karthika masam had set in. Amid the chilling environment, the devout rise early in the morning, and proceed to the temple in reverence and offer the lighting of the Karthika deepam redeeming their oaths.
Narrating the significance of Karthika deepam, the temple priest said that Lord Shiva appeared as an endless flame of light before Lord Vishnu and Lord Brahma, who each considered himself supreme and said that the matter could be tested if the two could search for Lord Shiva’s head and feet. Lord Vishnu took the form of a boar and delved deep into the earth, Lord Brahma that of a swan and flew towards the skies. Lord Vishnu failed in his search and returned. But Lord Brahma, chancing upon a piece of a flower, learnt from it that it had been floating down for thirty thousand years from Lord Shiva's head. He seized upon this and claimed to Lord Shiva that he had seen the other's top. Lord Shiva realised the falsehood and pronounced that there would never be a temple for Lord Brahma in this world. He also interdicted the use of the flower Thazhambu in his worship. Lord Shiva appeared as a flame, this day is called karthikai maha Deepa, he said.
