Pushkaram

Pushkaram is a festival in India which occurs in any particular year with respect to one of twelve important rivers; the river for each year's festival is based on which zodiacal sign Jupiter is in at that time. The table to the right shows the association between rivers and signs.The Pushkaram for each river come once every twelve years and lasts so long as the Jupiter remains in the corresponding Zodiac sign (generally, for one year). The first twelve days of "pushkaram" are known as "Adi Pushkaram", and the last twelve days are called "Anthya Pushkaram". It is believed that during the above period of twenty-four days, "Pushkar" the person, who is imbued with the power to make any river holy, will travel with Jupiter as Jupiter moves from one Zodiac house to another.In Tamilnadu, Pushkaram is celebrated in Tamraparni River when Jupiter is in Scorpio. In the four places where River Tamraparni flows from south to north, Banathirtham, Papanasam, Thirupudaimaruthur and sinthupoondurai, the festival is celebrated in accordance with tradition. The Tamraparni temple at Suthamalli is also a place of religious celebration during the Pushkaram year.