Theemithi: A Look at the Full Cycle of Rituals Behind the Festival of Firewalking
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- Catalogue identifier
- kali-0117
- Alternate titles and import identifiers
- KALI-0117
- Author or attribution
- Nalina Gopal
- Record type
- Article
- Language
- English
- Date / edition
- 2022-10-10
- Source / repository
- BiblioAsia, National Library Board Singapore
- Access
- Open access
- Subjects
- Kali Library Research Catalogue; Contemporary Worship and Living Traditions; Temples, Sacred Places, and Historical Worship; Academic Research and Peer-Reviewed Articles
Description and curator notes
A documented account of the extended festival cycle surrounding firewalking at Singapore’s Sri Mariamman Temple. The author places the conspicuous firewalking event among preparatory rites, community labor, oral testimony, and historical records. A relevant section discusses Aravan Poojai and Kali in the Tamil ritual reception of the Mahabharata. Readers should distinguish those living narrative and performance traditions from claims about the wording of the Sanskrit epic. The full illustrated article includes its author note and endnotes, and provides a strong entry into Tamil diaspora practice beyond Bengal-centered studies.
KALI-0117 — Kali Library Research Catalogue.
Access and reliability assessments below are supplied by the curator's 4–5 November 2026 research release, not a new independent verification.
Author / attribution: Nalina Gopal
Publication: BiblioAsia, National Library Board Singapore · 2022-10-10
BiblioAsia 18(3), October–December 2022.
Format / language: Institutional research article · English
Kali relevance: Explains Kali’s role in Aravan-related ritual within a Tamil diaspora festival.
Context: Singapore; Tamil Mahabharata reception and contemporary temple community.
Subjects: Contemporary Worship and Living Traditions; Temples, Sacred Places, and Historical Worship; Academic Research and Peer-Reviewed Articles
Evidence / reliability: Institutional or scholarly secondary source
Access / rights: Complete text checked 2026-11-05. Free to read; copyright retained. Link to the source; no blanket republication permission established.
Source and alternate access links:
Read complete text: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/vol-18-issue-3-oct-dec-2022-theemithi-firewalking-festival/
Source access
Read or locate the original source at BiblioAsia, National Library Board Singapore
Rights and reading conditions
Complete text checked 2026-11-05. Free to read; copyright retained. Link to the source; no blanket republication permission established. This library links to the source and does not reproduce its full text.
Citation
Nalina Gopal. Theemithi: A Look at the Full Cycle of Rituals Behind the Festival of Firewalking. BiblioAsia, National Library Board Singapore · 2022-10-10.
This page supplies catalogue metadata and links. It does not reproduce the underlying source text. Historical, religious, healing and interpretive claims belong to the cited sources, not to an independent verification by this catalogue.