Monday, 5-Jan-15. ♥ !!जय जय श्री राधेकृष्णा!! _()_ ॐ नमः शिवाय, शिवाय नमः ॐ! _()_ Today is 2015 Paush Purnima. ~ Braving the winter chill, thousands of Hindu devotees Monday took the holy dip at the Sangam (the confluence of the three rivers, Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati) on the first day of the 44-day long Magh Mela. Significance: 1.) Shakambari Jayanti is also observed during Paush Purnima. 2.) The followers of ISKCON and Vaishnava Sampradaya start Pushyabhishek Yatra on this day. 3.) Tribes living in rural parts of Chhattisgarh celebrate Charta festival (छेरता पर्व) on Paush Purnima day. 4.) Thiruvadhirai or Arudhra Darisanam is also celebrated today. It is a very Important festival for Tamil Iyers and some from Kerala, and it is the celebration of Lord Shivas cosmic dance full of energy and vigour at Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu. 5.) Thousands take holy dip in Sangam as Magh Mela begins. Braving the winter chill, thousands of Hindu devotees Monday took the holy dip at the Sangam (the confluence of the three rivers, Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati) on the first day of the 44-day long Magh Mela. The crowd count is expected to reach more than 25 lakh pilgrims over the course of the day.District officials said elaborate arrangements have been made for the event and 12 ghats (a flight of steps leading down to a river) have been erected to ensure that the pilgrims do not encounter any problems while they take their holy dip. Hundreds of Kalpavasi’s (loners) would be residing at special camps and tents constructed for them on the sprawling 1,550 bighas of land on the banks of the Sangam. Over 70,000 camps have been constructed, an official told IANS while adding that 12 power sub-stations would ensure 24×7 power supply to the mela area. 85 km of chequered plates have been laid to level the uneven portions at the banks and the temporary pontoon bridges for the convenience of the devotees. The Shahi Snan’s (royal baths) will take place Monday (Jan 5), Makar Sankranti (Jan14), Mauni Amavasya (Jan 20), Basant Panchami (Jan 24), Magh Poornima (Feb 3) and the final bathing (Feb 17) on the occassion of Maha Shivratri. More than 3,000 policemen including traffic personnel, mounted police and other security agencies are keeping a vigil in the mela area. Paush Purnima is a significant day in Hindu calendar. It marks the beginning of one month long austerity period which is observed during Magha month. In lunar calendar followed in North India Magha month starts from the next day of Paush Purnima. During Magha Mahina people take early morning bath in the Ganga or in the Yamuna throughout the month. The tough winter season in North makes austerity period more difficult. The daily bathing starts from Paush Purnima and ends on Magha Purnima. It is believed that all charity work done during this time are fructified easily. Hence people offer charity to needy according to their capacity. The holy dip at Dashashwamedh Ghat at Varanasi and Triveni Sangam at Prayag is considered highly auspicious and important on Paush Purnima day. It is believed that the holy dip on the auspicious day of Paush Purnima liberates the soul from the continuous cycle of the birth and the death. Thiruvadhirai or Arudhra Darisanam is a very Important festival for Tamil Iyers and some from Kerala, and it is the celebration of Lord Shivas cosmic dance full of energy and vigour at Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu, we worship him with lot of devotion, and offer flowers, Vilvam, etc make tasty Naivedyam of a sweet dish , made with roasted and coarsely ground rice and moong dal, and cooked with jaggery , garnished with coconut, fried cashews, to die for it is yummmy! it is complemented with a to die for Sambar, made with 7 Indian vegetables like White Pumpkin, Red Pumpkin, Drumsticks, Brinjal, Sweet potatoes, and two types of broad beans:) see picture below:) it usually falls on the full moon night, also the longest night in the Calendar, mostly celebrated between December and January every year. I greet all my Iyer friends and those from Kerala on this auspicious day.
Posted on: Mon, 05 Jan 2015 19:29:54 +0000
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