Kerala Hindu New Year

Tomorrow, August 17^th is Chingam 1^st, the New Year of Kerala Hindus. The last month of the year Karkkidakam is usually considered a dull month with the heavy rains that disturb the daily activities. Ramayan is read daily throughout Karkkidakam in all Hindu homes to ward off all ill effects of the season and bring in prosperity.

The arrival of Chingam itself is celebrated. As the rains have washed away all impurities, Kerala wakes up to a fresh New Year of celebrations and festivals. Flowers bloom all over and everyone gets a festive feeling. The most important festival Onam is approaching and the whole state of Kerala gets ready to celebrate.

The New Year is celebrated by Hindus by worshiping in temples. It is auspicious to start the year by going to temples. A vegetarian feast ‘sadya’ is made with ‘payasam’ as sweet. Chingam is a month of celebrations. Ashtamirohini, birth of Krishna, Onam, the 10 day long celebration, and Vinayaka Chaturthi falls on this month. Onam is the most important festival of Kerala Hindus, as it was on Thiruvonam day that MahaVishnu’s Vamana Avatar took place.

The elder generation predict how the year will be for the family, by the arrival of the first person to the house on Chingam first. If the person is a happy, positive thinking pleasant one, the year is going to be prosperous. If it is a beggar or someone complaining, grumbling or a discontented person, the year ahead is not going to be pleasant for the family.

Ella Malayalikkum Nava Valsara aashamsakal....

Vara Lakshmi puja

Lakshmi is mainly worshiped in 8 forms, the Ashtalakshmi. The eight manifestations of Goddess Mahalakshmi include Sri Aadhi lakshmi the Goddess of health, Sri Dhanya lakshmi the Goddess of food, Sri Dhairya lakshmi the Goddess of courage, Sri Gaja lakshmi the Goddess of luck, Sri Santhana Lakshmi the Goddess of children, Sri Dhana lakshmi the Goddess of wealth, Sri Vijaya lakshmi the Goddess of victory and Sri Vidya lakshmi the Goddess of education.Varalakshmi vrutham is celebrated on August 12th Friday in South India. Women observe the vrutham and do Lakshmi puja for the welfare of the family.

Previous day the house is cleaned and preparations for the puja is done. Waking up in the Brahma Muhoortham, taking bath, with a 'kolam' in front, they keep the Kalash. A bronze or silver pot is selected and is cleaned thoroughly and a swastika symbol is drawn and is smeared with sandalwood paste. The kalasham pot is filled with raw rice or water, coins, a single whole lime, five different kinds of leaves, and beetle nut. The items used to fill the kalasham vary from region to region and includes turmeric, comb, mirror, small black bangles and black beads. The things a sumangali use as adornment are used.
The kalasham up to the neck is sometimes covered with a cloth and mango leaves are placed on the mouth of the kalasham. Finally, a coconut smeared with turmeric is used to close the mouth of the kalasham. To this coconut, an image of Goddess Lakshmi is fixed or the image of Lakshmi is drawn using turmeric powder. Now the kalasham symbolically represents Goddess Lakshmi. Kalasham is kept on a plate of rice.
Lord Ganesha is worshipped first and Aarti is done singing Lakshmi stotrams. Various sweets are offered and then distributed as 'prasadam'. The next day, that is on Saturday, after taking a bath the kalasham is dismantled and the water in the kalasham is sprinkled in the house.
VaraLakshmi is the boon granting Goddess Lakshmi..She is worshiped by all Hindus for prosperity.

Ashtami Rohini

The celebration of the birth of Sri Krishna is known as Ashtami Rohini in Kerala. It is the same Janmashtami celebrated in North India. Ashtami Rohini falls on the month of Chingam on Rohini Nakshatra and Ashtami thithi.

Ashtami Rohini is also known as Sree Krishna Jayanthi, Janmashtami and Gokulashtami. Sree Krishna’s birth or Avataram took place at midnight, so people fast on the previous day and keep ‘jagaran’ till midnight.

All Sree Krishna temples celebrate Ashtamirohini. Very grand celebrations take place in Guruvayoor temple. This year 2011, the celebrations are on August 21 st and 22 nd.

The Avataram of MahaVishnu as Sree Krishna was on AshtamiRohini. At Guruvayoor Bhagavatha Sapthaha Yagna is conducted during these days and the Avatara part is narrated on this day. Thousands of devotees come to Guruvayoor every year to have a darshan of Guruvayoorappan in His Saisava roopam, as that will be the alankaram of the vigraham on that day.

After the Darshan all take part in the Prasadam oonu, on Kannan’s Birthday. It is a feast. The previous day people fast or take light food once a day, without rice. They spend the day on Bhajan and listening to Bhagavatham recitals.

Appam and Ada and Palpayasam are the main Naivedyam on AshtamiRohini.

Hindu Temples

Anantha Shayanam

All Hindu devathas are worshiped in our temples. Still most of the temples have the main deity Shiva, Vishnu or Devi.

There are two types of idols in our temples. One is “Achalam” which cannot be moved and the other is “Chalam” that can be moved. Those that are not moved are usually made of stone or “Shila” and rarely some are of “KaduSharkara”. These Vigrahams are known as “Moola vigraha” which are installed inside the Sreekovil. The ones that can be moved are usually used for Ezhunnallippu during Utsavam and daily Seeveli.

Moola Vigrahas are seen in 3 postures, Sthanaka, in standing posture, Aasana or sitting, and Shayana or lying down. Only Mahavishnu’s Vigraha has Shayana Prathishta.

The Vigrahas have two expressions, “Ugra” and “Soumya”. Ugra moorthis usually have protruding eyes, teeth and nails, which give a fierce appearance. Narasimha moorthi, Bhadrakali and Parasuram Vigrahas have this roopam.

The soumya Vigrahas are extra ordinarily beautiful. It is believed that worshiping them brings inner peace, and all prosperity. The upasana of Ugra moorthis is to achieve worldly wealth through improper methods or for the destruction of enemies.

Bangles

Bangles are traditional ornaments worn by a girl as an adornment. As in Kerala Hindu tradition a child is worn gold and glass bangles on its naming ceremony on the 28^th day of the child’s birth. The glass black bangles are meant to ward off negative forces that may harm a baby. Black glass bangles are worn to both boy and girl till their first birthday. Bangles are a compulsory item of the girl’s adornment.

Bangles are part of traditional Indian jewelry. A bridal jewelry is not complete without gold bangles on both hands. In Kerala it is not a tradition to wear glass bangles during wedding. In all other parts of India it is compulsory that the bride wears green or red glass bangles.

Bangles are very important among the “Mangalya” articles of every young and married woman. A widow is not expected to wear bangles. In some regions the woman’s bangles are broken or removed when her husband dies.

During every festival, Hindu women buy new bangles as a custom. It is considered auspicious to gift bangles to married woman. During Makar sankranthi women gift bangles to each other. During the ceremony conducted on a girl’s first pregnancy, the girl is worn bangles by friends and relatives. The customs and rituals have slight changes in each state, but the importance of bangles is significant everywhere. It is a mark of a “Suhagin” or “Sumangali.”

Krishna, this house is yours......

As a last attempt at peace, Krishna traveled to Hastinapur to persuade the Kauravas to embark upon a peaceful path with him. Krishna didn’t want the war so went as a messenger of peace.

When Dhritharashtra came to know of his arrival, he asked Vidur to make arrangements for Krishna’s stay at Dushasan’s palace. The blind king wanted to impress Krishna with the wealth and luxuries.

“Your wish is not going to be fulfilled, Maharaj. Krishna will not stay at an Adharmi's house. ”Saying this he left to receive Sri Krishna.

Pithamah Bhishma and Guru Dronacharya were already present there with other eminent people to receive Krishna.

When he saw his devotees waiting, Krishna stepped out of his Chariot and walked towards them.

Bhishma, Drona and Vidur too started walking with Krishna.

They reached the beautiful palace of Bhishma. Bhishma requested to Krishna, “Come inside, this is my house, take some rest and then we will proceed to Dhritharashtra’s palace.”

Krishna smiled and said, “Pithamah, I’ll surely accept your invitation”, but he continued to walk forward.

Then they saw another palacial house, that of Drona. “Please come in, Krishna, this is my house. May you take some rest here.” Drona said.

Krishna smiled and replied, “I’m glad that you invited me to your house.” But he didn’t stop. They all walked forward.

On the way they reached a humble dwelling. Sri Krishna asked, “Whose house is that?” Vidur came forward, bowed and said, “Krishna, that is your house.”

Krishna turned to others and said, “When I have my own home here, why should I stay as a guest in other houses?”

Vidura and his wife were ardent devotees who considered everything as God given and to them nothing was their’s.

Krishna stayed in the house of Vidura during his peace mission.

Krishna respected Vidura for his devotion to the people's welfare and his proficiency in every sphere of knowledge