#AADIPOORAM #UMADEVI #ANDAL #SRIVILLIPUTHUR #GODHA #RANGANATHASWAMI #GLASSBANGLES #TEMPLE #FESTIVAL

 

One of the most important days during the Aadi month is Aadi Pooram, which is celebrated as the day Goddess Parvati made her appearance on earth as the daughter of the king of the mountains, Parvataraja Himavan. 

This is the day when all the Bhagavati temples exhibit a celebratory fervour among the devotees. People throng to the temples to pray to the Goddess to bless them with happiness and prosperity. They make offerings of glass bangles for the Goddess Mother. This is known a valaikappu ceremony for Amman, after which the bangles are distributed to the devotees as Devi Prasadam.

There is a significant belief among devotees in Tamil Nadu that by performing the Aadi Pooram Vratham with utmost devotion, and offering glass bangles to the Goddess, She will bless young unmarried girls with early marriage and married women with children. 

Aadi Pooram is also the day when Goddess Andal appeared as an infant girl near a Tulsi plant at Srivilliputhur. Sri Andal is Goddess Mahalakshmi incarnate and the only female Alwar among the 12 Vaishnava poet saints known as Alwars. 

The Srivilliputhur Andal temple in Virudhunagar district is located at a distance of around 80 Kms from Madurai and takes about one and half to two hours to reach. The sight of the extremely beautiful temple tower (gopuram) signaled that we had arrived at our destination. Interestingly, this 192 feet tall, 11 tiered imposing Raja Gopuram is featured on the emblem of Tamil Nadu indicative of the importance accorded to the temple as one of the 101 Divya Desams dedicated to Lord Mahavishnu.

Raja Gopuram

The temple has been in existence since ages and is also associated with the incarnation of Goddess Mahalakshmi as Andal (also known as Kothai or Godha). So it is a two in one temple complex with shrines to Vatapatrasayana Perumal and Andal separately.

The original deity is Lord Vatapatrasayana Perumal. We enter a huge hall and have to climb a flight of steps to reach the main sanctum sanctorum. 

On the way to the sanctum sanctorum

There are three doorways through which one can have the divine darshan of the Lord in a reclining posture on the Adishesha with his consorts, Sridevi and Bhoodevi. Sage Brighu is standing near the Lord while Sage Markandeya is praying with folded hands reverently at his feet. 

Perumal Sannidhi

There are also images of Narada, Panchamurthis, Sanatkumara, Surya and Chandra, apart from Villi and Puttan.

Way to Andal Sanctum

There is a garden in the middle where Andal is said to have appeared as an infant near a Tulsi plant and was found by Perialwar. This is called Andal avatharitha Nandavanam. The temple tank in called Mukkulam and is believed to have the holy waters of Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswathi.

The entrance to the Andal temple has a huge Mandapam.

Entrance to Nandavanam where Andal made her first appearance

 The deity of the Goddess is breathtakingly beautiful.  There is a Kalyana Mandapam and Madhavi Pandhal  a little further away. 

Andal Sannidhi

The story of Andal is an exceptional example of devotion.  

The great devotee, Perialwar, had no children. Once on the day of Aadi Pooram, he found an infant girl child near the holy Tulsi plant in the temple. With the permission of the Lord, he adopted the girl child and named her Kothai/ Godha meaning a garland of flowers. He brought her up with love and affection. Perialwar used to pluck flowers and tulsi leaves from the garden and weave a garland for Lord Vatapatrasayee with his own hands. He would then present it to the Lord. Kothai used to observe this and help him. One day when Perialwar left her for a few minutes before leaving for the temple, she had a strange desire to wear the garland. She wore it and then removed it before her father came back. Without knowing that Kothai had worn the garland, Perialwar offered it to the priest for Lord Mahavishnu.  Kothai started wearing the garland and admired herself every day after that before her father took it to the temple. But one day the priest happened to see a strand of hair in the garland. He was furious. He refused to offer it to the deity. Perialwar was stunned and sad at the turn of events. He kept a secret watch over the garland and found to his dismay that it was his daughter, Andal, who was wearing the garland before he took it to the temple. He was very angry with her and discarded the garland. He then made another garland to be offered to the Lord. That night he had a dream when Mahavishnu said that he would accept only the garland worn by Andal. This happened when the child was just five years old. 

Andal grew up and her father wanted to search for a suitable bridegroom for her. But Andal’s mind was fixed on her Shri Krishna. Her devotion to the Lord was unshakable. Then it was that the Lord appeared once again in Perialwar’s dream and bade him bring Andal dressed as a bride to Srirangam. It is believed that, when Andal was taken in wedding procession and reached Srirangam, she just entered the sanctum and merged with the Lord.  

The festivals celebrated at this temple are Aadi Pooram, GodhaRangamannarThirukalyanam, Vasanta utsavam, Brahmotsavam etc.

#Andal #AadiPooram #festival #Srivilliputhur #temple #GodhaRangamannar 

Aadi Pirappu #Aadimasam #Bhagawatiseva #Neipayasam

Aadi Pirappu, the beginning of Aadi Masam is the day when we invite the Goddess Adi Parashakti into our homes to stay and bless us with happiness, while we pray to her with complete devotion.  This year, it is to be celebrated on 17th July 2025.

During the Aadi masam, it is common for people to perform Bhagawati Sevai puja at their homes to worship the Goddess mother. Tuesdays (Aadi Chevvai) and Fridays (Aadi Velli) are extremely auspicious, though it is to be noted that the puja can be performed on any day during the month as the entire month is considered auspicious for worshipping the divine Mother. 

The priest (Vadhyar) draws the Padmam himself and decorates it with yellow turmeric powder and red Kumkumam. The vilakkus (either two or three as per the tradition of each house) are then decorated with flower garlands, chandanam(sandal paste) and kumkumam. They are filled with ghee and lit. The puja starts with the invocation of Lord Ganesh. This is followed by invocation of Goddess Parashakthi. Lalitha Sahasranamam, Lalitha Thrisithi Mantram, Durga Sooktham, and some chapters from the Devi Mahatmyam (Durga Sapta Shathi) are chanted, while offering various types of flowers to the Goddess.  The atmosphere is divine and one can actually feel the presence of the Devi when the puja is performed with sincerity and devotion. 

There are two neivedyams offered during this puja, the delicious Nei Payasam and Ulundu Vadai. The neivedhyam is then offered as prasadam to all those who are attending the puja.

Here is the recipe for the Nei Payasam

Ingredients

Raw Rice – 250 gms.

Jaggery - 1 Kg.

Ghee – ½ Kg

Cardamom – 6-8 crushed to powder

Fresh coconut – finely sliced ½ cup

Method of Preparation

First sauté the thinly sliced coconut pieces in ghee till they turn slightly brown. Keep aside.

Wash the rice well and cook.

Powder the jaggery/vellam/gud (you can use powdered vellam available in grocery stores). Take the jaggery in water just enough to dissolve in a thick bottomed vessel or Kadhai.

Boil it till all the jaggery melts and dissolves into syrup. Strain for impurities.

Add the cooked rice to the jaggery syrup and stir continuously while adding ghee little by little. You have to ensure that no lumps are formed. The mixture will thicken as you keep stirring. It will slowly start leaving the sides of the vessel. Add the powdered cardamom and the coconut slices.

The delicious Nei payasam for neivedyam is ready.

(For a variation you can sauté some cashew and raisins in ghee along with the coconut slices. It tastes really good.)

#Thiruvadhirai, #ArudraDarshanam, a famous #festival in #TamilNadu and #Kerala

 

 I am sharing an excerpt from my book 'Kerala the Divine Destination' on this auspicious occasion. 

The legend behind the festival is very interesting. Lord Shiva was the only one amongst all the Devas who was not invited by Dakshan, the father of Goddess Sati, for the Maha Yagna which he was performing. However, though the Lord warned her about the consequences of being an uninvited guest albeit at her father’s house, Sati went for the Yagna. She was ignored and forced to hear her husband insulted by her father, upon which she immolated herself in the sacrificial fire. She was reborn as Goddess Parvathy, the daughter of Himavan and Myenadevi, and did penance for a long time for securing Lord Shiva as her husband. Meanwhile, an Asura named Tarakasur, acquired the boon of not meeting death at the hands of anyone except the combined power of Shiva and Shakti. The Lord was in meditation and nobody had the courage to disturb Him, but the Devas unable to bear the torture of Tarakasur instructed Kamdev to lure Lord Shiva with his cupid’s arrow to Goddess Parvathy who was doing penance and serving the Lord. Shiva was furious at being disturbed and opened his third eye to reduce Kamdev to ashes. Being pleased with her long penance, and recognizing his beloved Sati in this new Avatar, He accepted Parvathy as his consort. Rati, the wife of Kamdev wept at Lord Shiva’s feet, and being persuaded by Goddess Parvathy gave the solution for the resurrection of Kamdev as Lord Krishna’s son. An important part of the festival is the 'Ettangadi chuduka' , during which, eight different tubers are roasted in the fire. It is believed that Kamadeva's body is represented by the tubers and by this ritual, his body is resurrected.Thiruvadira being the day that Lord Shiva accepted Parvathi as his consort, the festival is more woman centric as women from the traditional Malayali families fast for the well being of their husbands and marital bliss, whereas unmarried women undertake the fast to get a good husband.

The day starts early in the morning with a visit and prayers to the nearest Shiva temple before sunrise in traditional attire.The women then prepare the Kanzhi – puzhukku for the meal. The Kanzhi is made of broken wheat. The Thiruvadira puzhukku is a delicious concoction of chembu (colocasia), chenai (yam), koorkai (chinese potato), Madhurakizhangu (Sweet potato) , all tubers, with payaru (red cow beans) and kaaya (raw banana).They are cooked with salt and freshly ground coconut. Another speciality of the Thiruvadira meal is the koova payasam, a sweet dish made of arrow root powder, jaggery and coconut milk. Even the women who are fasting can have these items as they do not contain rice and fasting during Thiruvadhira means abstaining from consumption of rice for the Malayali women. In Palakkad, the same pattern of early morning visit to the Shiva temple is followed. However their meal consists of Kali and Kootu.









The women gather for the song and dance routine, so typical of the festival, on the day prior to Thiruvadhira on the Makeeram star, which lasts through the night. A big brass lamp (nelavilakku) is placed in the middle and the women form a circle around it. They start dancing with swaying movements and clapping of hands to the rhythm of the song that is first sung by the leader and repeated by the group members. They start with the invocation of Ganapathy and Goddess Saraswathy. The Thiruvathira pattu (songs) are simple yet full of meaning. Their lyrics are about Parvathi’s love and longing for Shiva, her penance and the description Shiva’s power and divinity. The dance of Kaikottikali has been performed during Thiruvadira for ages and the hand movements and dance gestures are common to the region.The dress for the dancers is very traditional. It consists of two pieces, a cream coloured dhoti (mundu) and an upper garment (neriyathu) of the same colour. Generally there is a gold coloured border for both the garments.

At midnight there is a ceremony called pathira poochoodal, when the women will adorn the dasapushpam (10 important medicinal flowers) on their hair with utmost devotion. The pathirapoochoodal ceremony for a newly wedded bride is even more special and is called poothiruvadhira. The dance then continues until the wee hours of dawn. In the midst of all the ritual there is a unique ritual of consuming 108 betel leaves with scented arecanuts by the women. These leaves are first offered to Lord Shiva and then taken and chewed.


#Thiruvadhira #Festival #Kerala #TamilNadu #Chidambaram #Kaikottikali #LordShiva

Stree-The Women of the Ramayana #book

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Did you know that a celestial nymph was cursed to turn into a monkey and went on to become the mother of Hanuman, the most worshipped devotee of Lord Ram?  

How did Lakshman manage to evade sleep for 14 years? 

Have you heard the story of Shanta, Lord Ram's elder sister?

A new book on the anvil,co-authored by Jai Shukla and Lalitha Balasubramanian, published by Om Books International, will excite readers with stories about these and other

lesser known women characters in the magnificent epic Ramayana, revered by many in the world. 

This book is available on 

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