Karadayan Nombu falls on Sunday,14th March, this year and according to learned priests the time specified for tying the yellow thread is between 3.30 pm and 4.30 pm. Celebrated by the people of Tamil Nadu, married women perform puja and pray for the long life of their husbands and unmarried girls pray for getting blessed with a good husband. The puja is performed at a specified time, just when the Tamil month of Maasi ends and the month of Panguni begins.
Tradition
On this day the women
get up early in the morning, take bath and decorate their house entrance and
the puja room with kolams. They place leaves in front of the Goddess on which
they offer betel leaves and areca nuts (Vethalai Pakku), yellow bananas, sweet
Karadai and butter. Traditionally, the women fast until the specified time of
the puja, wear nine yards sari, adorn their hair with flowers, tie the manjal
charadu (yellow thread) and pray for the long life of their husbands.
While tying the
manjal charadu, the mantram chanted is
“Dhram gruhnami subhage
sahardhraam
Dharami aham bharthu
Ayushya sidhartham supreedha bhava sarvadha”
This means, “I am taking
the thread, Oh Goddess, with affection,
And I am wearing it for
the long life of my husband.
Always be pleased with
me.”
The Tamil chant during the puja while offering the Karadai to the Goddess is
“Urugadha vennaiyum, oru
adaiyum notrein,
Orukkalum en Kanavar ennai piriyadhirukka vendum”
Meaning “I offer this unmelted butter and adai. Please bless me to live with my husband forever.”
Generally the women
break their fast by eating the prasad of sweet karadai with butter after they
have performed the puja and offered it to the Goddess.
Recipe for Sweet Karadai
also known as Nolumbu Adai
Ingredients
Dry roasted rice powder
- 1 cup
Jaggery powdered -
1 cup
Water - 2 cups
Coconut slices - 1
tablespoon
Karamani (Black eyed
peas/ lal chowli) - 1 or 2 tablespoons
Cardomom - 1 pinch
Ghee - 1 teaspoon
Method of preparation
Wash and soak raw rice
in water for 3 to 4 hours. Drain the water and spread the rice on a cloth for
15 minutes. Then grind it to a fine powder. Dry roast this powder till there is
no moisture.
Cook the Karamani
separately till soft and keep aside.
Take a pan and melt the
jaggery in 2 cups of water. Filter to remove dirt or impurities. Add the fine
small sliced coconut pieces, the Karamani and boil. When the jaggery water
starts boiling, add a teaspoon of ghee. the cardomom powder and then the
roasted rice powder while stirring continuously till the mixture leaves the
sides of the pan. Off the burner and allow it to cool.
Roll the mixture into
balls, flatten them and make holes in the middle as shown in the picture. Now
steam the sweet karadais in an idli cooker for 15 minutes.
Your sweet Karadai is
ready to serve with butter.
The recipe for Salted
Karadai
Ingredients
Dry roasted rice powder
Salt to taste
Karamani - 1 or 2
tablespoons
Coconut slices
Seasoning
Oil - 1 tablespoon
Mustard - 1/2 teaspoon
Udad dal - 1/4 teaspoon
Curry leaves - a few
Green chilli - 1 or 2
finely chopped
Ginger - a small piece
finely chopped.
Asefoetida - a pinch
Method of Preparation
Prepare the rice powder
and cook the karamani in the same way as for the sweet Karadai
Heat the oil in a
saucepan and add mustard. Let it sputter. Add udad dal, asefoetida, and chopped
ginger and green chillies. Then add the curry leaves. Now add the coconut
finely sliced and karamani. Add water and salt to taste. Bring it to a boil.
When the water starts boiling, lower the flame and add the rice powder slowly
and stir continuously till the mixture leaves the sides of the pan. Allow it to
cool. Then like the sweet Karadai, divide it into balls, flatten them and carve
a hole in the middle of each. Steam these salted adais in an idli cooker or
steamer and your salted karadais are ready to serve.
For those who want to
know more here is the story behind this festival.
The story goes that
Maharaja Ashtapathi had a beautiful daughter named Savitri, whom he adored. He
knew her to be very intelligent and wise and gave her the freedom of choosing
her husband. Savitri, during one of her visits to the forest, came upon a young
man who was carrying on his shoulder, his blind parents in two baskets slung on
a pole. Savitri was impressed by his sense of duty and respect and decided to
marry him. When she informed her father, Ashtapathi enquired about the young
man with Narada Muni. Narada informed him that the young man was Satyavan, the
son of a king who had been exiled from his own kingdom. Ashtapati was happy
about the fact that his daughter had chosen a prince. But then Narada said that
Satyavan would die young. He had only one year to live. The King was aghast.
But Savitri was set on marrying Satyavan. The King had no option but to get
them married. Savitri was well aware about her husband’s impending death. She
undertook strict vrats and performed pujas with dedication. The fateful day
dawned. While cutting wood, Satyavan fell dead as Yama, the Lord of Death had
arrived. Savitri followed Yama. The God of Death was astonished and pleased by
her perseverance. He offered her three boons, and said that she should not ask
for her husband. Savitri, being intelligent, agreed. She first asked that her
in laws should be reinstated in their kingdom with all glory and respect. Her
second request was for a son for her father Ashtapathi. For the third boon she
asked for sons for herself. Yama said “Granted” and then realized that he had
been outwitted by her intelligence, as he had to leave Satyavan alive for
Savitri to beget sons. The time of Karadayan Nombu is believed to be
the time when Savitri performed puja, offered the Karadai to Lord Yama and got
her husband back from death. Thus the offering of the delicious Karadai, both sweet
and salted, is unique to this festival.
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#Nolumbu #Savitri #Satyavan #legend
