Arunachala Deepam

Every year a gigantic lamp  is observed on the peak of Arunachala Mountain called Arunachala jyoti or deepam  A big brass vessel especially designed in the form of a lamp is lifted to the peak of the hill; it is filled with ghee  and  lit an enormous thick wick made of loosely twisted clothes is immersed into the vessel & is ignited with burning camphor  .

The story behind this is explained in my first post but once again I will give the details here again in brief 

Lord Shiva appeared as a hill (Arunachala Hill) when Lord Brahma and Lord Vishnu started quarreling between them who is Great and Mighty .Lord Shiva   appeared in the form of fire on Arunachala Mountain  and told them whoever finds the top or bottom of the fire is the greatest. Brahma took the form of Annam (a bird) and tried to find the top of the frle pillar. Vishnu took the form of Varaha( giant pig) and tried to see the bottom of the pillar. As the God has no limit in his size or power, both of them could not see either top or bottom of the fire. When their ego went down and they prayed the God, He appeared before them. 

 Indeed, the very name `Arunachala' translate as `holy fire hill.' 

And that infinite column of light is Arunachala, cooled by compassion into the shape of an ordinary hill, so that devotees may draw near and venerate the supreme divine.

The Shivalinga in the temple here is the Agni Lingam. The tiny lamps lit during the Karthika masam  are believed to be the miniature replicas of the fire Lingam. 

On the Karthika deepam  day is South-India, people make bonfires in front of temples in the evening.

 It is said that Lord Shiva burnt the chariots of several demons who were torturing sags and celestial. This bonfire symbolizes, this legend.

This rituals  indicates the  God is the light that will drive away our ignorance. Lamps are lit in the houses to pray His "Jyothi Swarupam".

In  South India, Hindus lit   a elephant lamp which marks as a sign of prosperity and wealth. The story behind lighting elephant lamp is given below.

Once upon a time there lived a King and he had only one daughter. She loved an elephant which grew with her and she considered the elephant as her own brother. After her marriage she missed her brother elephant very much. She used to lit a lamp which is Elephant shape with Rice flour   in Karthika Masam