Panguni Thingal
Panguni Thingal or ‘Mondays in March’ are particularly auspicious days that are observed at Kannaki Amman kovils in the Northern Peninsula. Thingal is the Tamil word for Monday and the month of Panguni, in the Hindu calendar, extends from mid-March to mid-April. Panguni ends just before the Tamil and Sinhala New Year that usually falls between April 12th and 15th.
The observance of Panguni Thingal is not merely restricted to Kannaki Amman kovils but rather, all Amman kovils in the North, as attested by this interesting post about its observance at the Katpulathu Manonmany Ambal in Nanthavil, Kokuvil: http://tamilweek.com/news-features/archives/267. Most devotees in the North believe that all Ammans – be it Kannaki Amman, Durga Amman, Kali Amman, Mariamman, Pechi Amman, Athulu Amman or Katpulathu Amman – are manifestations of God Siva’s consort, Parvati, who is the incarnation of shakti or female divinity. Therefore, worshipping at one Amman kovil is as good as another.
However, as a group of Kannaki Amman devotees at the Panrithalachchi Kannaki Amman Kovil poignantly observed: “Each amman has special stories associated with her. Kannaki Amman’s story is related in a famous Tamil literary gem [see our photo essay Silappadikaram]. She epitomises karpu (chastity or faithfulness), vidamuyarchi (perseverance) and nithi (justice). This sets her apart from the rest [of the ammans]… These are qualities we have held onto, that have given us nambikkai (hope) throughout the years of war.”