Permanent Pictorial Cancellation inaugural day covers

Description: Vaikasi Visakam is an important Hindu festival celebrated during the Tamil month of Vaikasi (May–June), when the moon aligns with the Visaka star. The festival commemorates the divine birth of Lord Murugan, the god of wisdom, courage, and victory. On this auspicious occasion, devotees visit Murugan temples, perform pujas and abhishekams, chant devotional hymns, carry Kavadi, and participate in colourful processions expressing their faith and devotion. Swaminatha Swamy Temple is one of the most revered temples dedicated to Lord Murugan. Located at Swamimalai near Kumbakonam in the Thanjavur district, the temple stands on the banks of a tributary of the Kaveri River. It is one of the six sacred abodes of Lord Murugan, collectively known as the Arupadaiveedugal. The temple is built atop an 18-metre-high hill and is approached by sixty steps, symbolising the sixty years of the Tamil calendar. It has three entrances, three praharams (precincts), and a majestic five-storeyed south-facing gopuram. 

Shrines dedicated to Lord Shiva as Sundareswarar and Goddess Meenakshi are situated at the foot of the hill. According to Hindu mythology, Swamimalai is the sacred place where Lord Murugan explained the meaning of the Pranava Mantra “Om” to his father, Lord Shiva, thereby earning the name Swaminatha - swamy. The six-foot-tall idol of Murugan holds a staff (danda) and is uniquely depicted riding an elephant instead of his usual peacock mount. This rare form is seen only at Swamimalai and Tiruttani, with the elephant believed to have been gifted by Indra, king of the gods. The temple conducts six daily rituals and celebrates several annual festivals, among which Vaikasi Visakam is the grandest. On the auspicious occasion of “Vaikasi Visakam, " India Post Tamil Nadu Circle commemorates Lord Murugan's birth anniversary and issues a series of four PPCs.