Chaudas falls on the Krishna Paksha Chaturdashi of each traditional Hindu lunar month. Below are the monthly Chaudas fasting dates in 2023. ‘Krishna Paksha’ is the dark fortnight of a lunar month. It is the 14th day after full moon (Purnima) or more easy calculation one or one day before Amavasya. Shiva devotees observe the day with vrat, special prayers and pujas. Some devotees also keep vigil all night as in  Mahashivratri . Chaudas Dates in 2023 (Indian Standard Time) January 20 February 18  –  Annual Mahashivratri March 20 April 18 May 17 June 16 July 15, 2023  –   August 14  September 13 October 12 November 11 December 11 

Chunakkara Thiruvarur Mahadeva Temple is located near Kayamkulam in Kerala. The shrine is located around 12 km from Kayamkulam and is dedicated to Lord Shiva. The annual festival is observed in Makaram month. The festival ends with Arattu. The temple is traditionally decorated with plantain, coconut leaves, flowers, leaves, traditional lamps and lights. The annual festival is noted for various rituals.  Caparisoned elephants,  Kuthira, Kala, melam, fireworks and sheevali are part of the festival. Traditional performing arts, music and dance are staged during the period. Hundreds of people arrive on the day to witness various rituals and festivities. The weeklong festival ends with Arattu on the final day. The 10-day festival is observed in such a way that it begins on Thiruvathira Nakshatra in Makaram month. On The Same Topic New Article Chunakkara Temple - History - Shiva Temple Sculpture - Architecture - Festival

Mupliyam Madapillikavu Temple is located in Thrissur District. The shrine is dedicated to Shiva and Devi – Mother Goddess Bhagavathi. The annual festival at Madappillikavu is observed in Makaram month. The temple is located around 27 km from Thrissur. The Upa Devatas worshipped in the temple are Vishnu, Devi and Ganpati. Mahashivratri and Bali Tharpanam are conducted in the temple. The temple has a round sanctum sanctorum with a kodimaram and chuttambalam. The temple is traditionally decorated with plantain, coconut leaves, flowers, leaves, traditional lamps and lights. The annual festival is noted for various rituals. Caparisoned elephants, melam, fireworks and sheevali are part of the festival. Traditional performing arts, music and dance are staged during the period. Hundreds of people arrive on the day to witness various rituals and festivities. The weeklong festival ends with Arattu on the final day.

Kumbhakarna continuously sleeps in the Ramayana. He only wakes up for a day after six months of continuous sleep. But why does he sleep for such long periods. As per Ramayana, Kumbhakarna was a giant. He roamed around the universe creating havoc. He caused damage to Devas and humans. Kumbakarna once performed intense austerities dedicated to Brahma at Gokarna along with Ravana. The tapasya continued for several years. Devas were worried that Kumbakara might become even more powerful and destroy the earth and heaven. Soon the Devas realized that Kumbhakarna was planning to ask extinction of Devas as boon. Devas took the help of  Goddess Saraswati  to thwart the evil designs of the huge demon. She promised to help them. Finally, Brahma appeared before Kumbhakarna and as boon wanted to ask nirdevata – extinction of Devas. Just as he was about to ask the boon, Goddess Saraswati influenced his speech and he asked nidravata – sleepiness. Brahma immediately granted it. Thus

Budha Ashtami is a unique ritual observed when Ashtami or eighth day in a Hindu lunar calendar falls on Wednesday. The ritual is dedicated to Goddess Parvati and Lord Shiva. The ritual is performed for redemption of sins. It is said in the Brahmanda Purana that the performance of the ritual helps in removing sins performed in previous births too. In some regions people who observe the vrat only take eight handfuls of food on the day.

The Trunk of the Ganesh Murti (idol) comes in two forms either pointing right side or pointing left side. The elephant-headed Hindu God Ganesha is worshipped in all Hindu homes and all auspicious events take place after his permission. When the image of Ganesha has the trunk pointing to the right, it is used for worship – for performing pujas, prayers and rituals (Ganesha's right). The direction right side symbolizes the path to Moksha or liberation – the ultimate goal in Sanatana Dharma. The trunk pointing to left side is associated with material gains. It is the direction of success in the world. But this success does not last for long. Symbolically, it represents achievements, gains in worldly life, desires etc, and is not used for worship. Such images are used to adorn homes or to be kept in vehicles etc.

Itkhori Temple, or Ma Bhadrakali Mandir, is located on the confluence of Mahane and Baksha River at Itkhori near Chatra in Jharkhand. It is widely believed that Sri Ram, Lakshman and Mata Sita resided in the area during their exile period in the Ramayana. The shrine is located around 38 km northeast of Chatra. It is also believed that Pandavas performed puja here during their exile period. The murti of Goddess Bhadrakali is installed on a raised platform. Only priests are allowed to perform puja. Devotees are not allowed to touch the murti. To the right of the Bhadrakali murti there are murtis of Vishnu and Shiva in the form of Gaurishankar. To the left there are again two murtis of Vishnu. Below the main murti one can see Ridhi and Siddhi. Chaturbhuj Devi, Surya and Gaurishankar are also worshipped near the sanctum. Murtis of Ganesha, Shiva-Parvati, Bhairav, Buddha, Saraswati Devi and Vishnu are installed on the walls of the shrine. Nandi, Panchamukhi Hanuman

Ariyittu Vaazhcha is a unique ritual observed at the Thiruvarattukavu Devi Temple near Kollampuzha in Attingal. The temple is dedicated to Goddess Bhagavathi. The festival is observed on the ninth day of Makaram month. Thiruvarattu Kavu Devi temple is located at Kizhakkupuram and is around 4 km from Attingal town. A fierce murti of Bhagavathi is worshipped in the temple. She is the energy of a fierce form of Goddess who was once worshipped in the Taliparamba Rajarajeshwari temple. The murti worshipped in the temple is made out of panchaloha. On the entrance to the sanctum sanctorum there are two female guards called Sumukhi and Sundari. To the south of the sanctum sanctorum there are shrines of Veerabhadra, Ganapathi and Saptha mathrika. Other subsidiary deities worshipped in the temple are Nagayakshi, Brahmarakshas, Sastha and Kiratha. A unique Shivling is worshipped in the temple and it has a reddish tinge.  Thiruvarattukavu Devi Temple History The region around the temple was