The story of ‘Thoppukkaranam’

Have you heard the words ‘Pillaiyar Kuttoo’ and ‘Thoppukkaranam’? People belonging to Tamil nadu will definitely be aware. They are two practices being followed in the worship of Lord Ganesha.

Whenever people do a puja or engage in any religious activities, they first start their prayer by invoking Ganesha striking their forehead with their knuckles. This practice of worshipping Ganesha is known as ‘Pillaiyar Kuttoo’. While dealing with Sage Agasthya in one of my earlier episodes, I mentioned the story as to how the practice of `Pillaiyar kuttoo’ came into being.

This present story will tell you how the practice of Thoppukkaranam came into practice.