Arattupuzha Pooram is the annual festival observed at the Sastha or Ayyappa Temple Temple at Arattupuzha Thrissur District in Kerala. The famous pooram festival in the shrine is observed in Meenam month. Arattupuzha Pooram 2023 date is April 3. The shrine is around 16 km south of Thrissur town. The important festival is observed on the Pooram Nakshatra day in Meenam month. Utsava murthis Gods and Goddess worshipped in the nearby temples visit Lord Sastha on the Arattupuzha pooram day. The highlights the seven-day festival are caparisoned elephants {with muthukuda (sequined, glittering umbrellas) and venchamaram (white whisks)}, melam and fireworks. The most important days are the final two days. The melam observed in the temple is known as Sasthavinte Melam. Traditional music - Panchavadyam, Panchari Melam and Pandimelam – are part of the festivities. The utsava murti worshipped in the temple is taken around atop a caparisoned elephant, which is accompanied by another

The color used to play Holi in ancient India was extracted from Tesu flowers which bloom during the spring season. It is believed that Lord Krishna played Holi with Radha using colors made from Tesu flowers. Even today many of the temples in Vrindavan, Braj area and Mathura play Holi with traditional yellowish-orange coloured water extracted from dried Tesu Flowers. Tesu Flowers is also known as the flame of the forest and is the flower of the Palash tree. It is believed to possess medicinal properties and is also good for the skin. Fresh Tesu flowers are used to welcome guests and it is also used to sprinkle water on devotees during Holi. The flowers are soaked overnight in water and can also be boiled to obtain fragrant yellowish – orange coloured water. The dried flowers can be dried and powdered for an orange powder.

Hutasani Poornima, or Hutashani Purnima, is the full moon day in the month of Falgun or Phalguna (February – March) in traditional lunar Hindu calendar. In 2023, the date of Hutasani Purnima is March 6. It is also known as Hutasani Fagun Sud Poonam. The famous Holika Dahan associated with Holi festival is observed on the Hutasani Purnima day. According to Puranas, the great demon king Hiranyakashipu, with the help of a boon from Brahma, ruled the three worlds and forcefully made all the people worship him. But he could not make Prahlad, his son, worship him. Prahlad was an ardent devotee of Lord Vishnu. Hiranyakashipu could not tolerate his son worshipping Lord Vishnu and looked for ways to eliminate him. But each time the young Prahlad was rescued by Lord Vishnu. Finally, the task of annihilating Prahlad was given to Holika, a sister of Hiranyakashipu. She had a boon that she would never get burnt by fire. Taking advantage of this boon, Holika took Prahlad and s

Katha Rudra Upanishad is a minor Upanishad. Lord Brahma teachings about Atman in this text. This is a small collection of teachings from Katha Rudra Upanishad. That spontaneous flash of illumination (realization of nature of the Atman as a result of the pure knowledge arising out of the power of Brahmacharya) that irradiates the world is ever shining. It is indeed the witness of the world, the universal Self, embodiment of purity, substratum of all beings, of the very nature of absolute consciousness through and through. Neither by work nor through progeny nor by any other means whatsoever, but only by intuitive awareness of Brahman does a person attain Brahman. That Brahman which is the object of real or supreme Knowledge, is Truth, awareness, Joy (Bliss) and non-dual (One without a second). He who realizes the inner Self as ‘I am Brahman’, he becomes Brahman Itself.