What is Pradosham? Pradosham literally means removal of sins. Falls on the 13th lunar day (Trayodashi) during the waxing and the waning phase of the moon in the Hindu Lunar calendar. Occurring between 4:30 pm to 6:00 pm on Trayodashi, the Pradosha time is propitious to pray Lord Shiva and invoke his blessings. The Pradosha […]
Human beings soon after stabilizing from nomadic venture started the ritual of worshipping the nature and everything that was helpful to them in one or another way. It helped them construct a system that was derived from the beliefs in social organizations, local cults and deities. Humans thus started exploring nature and started sorting a […]
Vat Savitri Vrat in North India and Sabitri Brata in Orissa is a fasting observed by married women for the well-being of their husbands and for a happy married life on Amavasya, the new moon day in the Bikram Sambat month of Jyestha. It is also known as Sabitri Uwaans in Western Odisha region or Savitri Amavasya. On this day, women performing the puja observe […]
The scintillating festival of Diwali stretches beyond cultures and religions, embracing and enveloping all. That is the sole reason why Diwali or Deepawali is the most popular Indian festival. From detailed, long poojas for the religion enthusiasts to the night long card parties and haute Diwali do’s for the younger chic lot, from ebullient, fiery […]
Diwali or Deepavali is a festival where people from all age groups participate. They give expression to their happiness by lighting earthen ‘diyas’ (lamps), decorating the houses, bursting firecrackers and inviting near and dear ones to their households for partaking in a sumptuous feast. The lighting of lamps is a way of paying obeisance to […]
On the day of Diwali, it is a custom to worship Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Ganesha together. It is well-known that Goddess Lakshmi is the Goddess of wealth, fortune, luxury and prosperity (both material and spiritual) while Lord Ganesha is revered as the remover of obstacles, the patron of arts and sciences and the ‘Deva’ of intellect and wisdom. […]
Believed as the root cause of creation, sustenance and annihilation, Durga is the principal form of the Mother Goddess in Hinduism. The name ‘Durga’ in Sanskrit means ‘invincible’. The syllable ‘du’ is synonymous with the 4 devils namely poverty, sufferings, famine and evil habits. The ‘r’ refers to diseases and the ‘ga’ is the destroyer of sins, injustice, irreligion, […]
Believed as the root cause of creation, sustenance and annihilation, Durga is the principal form of the Mother Goddess in Hinduism. The name ‘Durga’ in Sanskrit means ‘invincible’. The syllable ‘du’ is synonymous with the 4 devils namely poverty, sufferings, famine and evil habits. The ‘r’ refers to diseases and the ‘ga’ is the destroyer of sins, injustice, irreligion, […]
Thai Poosam is a festival celebrated by the Hindus who live in the south as well as various other countries like Singapore, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and South Africa. It is celebrated in the Tamil month of Thai (January – February) on a full moon day and the day of the star Poosam. This festival is […]
Sankranti means transmigration of the Sun from one Rāshi to the next. Hence, there are 12 Sankrantis in a year. Each Sankranti is marked as the beginning of a month in the sidereal solar calendars followed in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Odisha, Punjab, Gujarat. On the other hand, in the sidereal solar […]
Teej in Hindi literally means “three” it is the third day of the month. According to the Hindu calendar there are two teej in every month (30 days). Special significance is given to teej (or the third day) of special months. The Hindu festival of Teej is marked by fasting of women who pray to Lord Shiva and Goddess […]
Dhanteras falls on the thirteenth day of the month of Ashwin. The word “Dhan” means wealth. As such this day of the five-day Diwali festival has a great importance for the rich mercantile community of western India. Houses and business premises are renovated and decorated. Entrances are made colorful with lovely traditional motifs of Rangoli designs […]
