Panguni Uthiram, also known as Paiguni Uttaram, is an important Tamil Hindu festival, which is observed in Panguni month when Nakshatra Uthiram or Uttara Phalguni prevails. Panguni is the twelfth month in Tamil Calendar, which is recognized as Meena month in other solar calendars.
On this day Uthiram Nakshatra coincides with full moon and is believed to be the auspicious occasion for most of the divine marriages. It is believed that the marriages of Goddess Parvati with Lord Shiva, Goddess Deivayanai with Lord Murugan, and Goddess Sita with Lord Rama were conducted on Panguni Uthiram day.
Since it is regarded as the wedding day of Goddess Deivayanai and Lord Subramanya, it is an important festival celebrated in Murugan temples where hundreds of devotees gather to participate in the festival. On this day Goddess Parvati in the form of Gowri married Lord Shiva in Kanchipuram and hence this day is also celebrated as Gowri Kalyanam day.
It is on this day Goddess Mahalakshmi incarnated on Earth during churning of the Milky Ocean or Ksheera Sagara Manthan and hence this day is also observed as Mahalakshmi Jayanti. Lord Ayyappa Jayanti is also celebrated on this day. Lord Ayyappa was born to Lord Shiva and Mohini, where Mohini was the female form of Lord Vishnu.
