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Showing posts from February 28, 2022


Shivaratri Mantra - Simple Easy Shivratri Mantra

The best and easy mantra during Shivratri is the ‘Panchakshari Mantra’ – ‘ namah shivaya.’ Most people repeat it as ‘om namah shivaya.’ Not just during Shivaratri but this mantra can be chanted at anytime. Just close your eyes and chant it. You can experience a different feeling – a calmness. Repeat 'ॐ नमः शिवाय ' to attain mental strength and to overcome any kind of fear.  Most people want to know the result of repeating the mantra. If you are repeating a mantra to gain something, I don’t personally believe that it is going to be of any help. Never expect miracles to happen by repeating any mantras. All mantras are meant to improve ‘Shradha’ – one can say it as concentration although it has a wider meaning. When chanted during meditation these mantras provide an inner strength. With the help of inner strength or shradha gained during chanting, you can improve your skills. This will in return help you in gaining both spiritual and materialistic wealth. Greatest r

Why is Shivratri celebrated during night?

Night usually represents evil then why is Shivratri celebrated during night? The night after Maha Shivratri is ‘amavasya’ (full dark night). A day when the world will be completely dark. Symbolically, nothing but only ignorance and injustice will prevail. This ‘amavasya’ also represents ‘Kaliyuga.’ Mahadev Shiva appeared just before the beginning of Kaliyuga to rid the world of ignorance and evil. This was during the night before ‘amavasya.’ Therefore special worship is done before ‘amavasya’ to please Shiva who is the remover of darkness, evil and ignorance. Then, almost all the legends associated with Shivratri happened during night and this is another reason. Related Link to other articles related to Shivratri

Eramangalam Puzhakkara Bhagavathy Temple – Festival

Eramangalam Puzhakkara Bhagavathy temple is located at Eramangalam – Veliancode in Malappuram district, Kerala. The temple is dedicated to Goddess Bhagavathy. The annual Prathishta dinam festival in the temple is held in Malayalam Meena Masam (March – April). This is a small temple with a powerful deity. The temple also has shrines of upa devatas. The temple observes various rituals and pujas that are part of North Kerala. The shrine also observes other important festivities including Navratri and Thrikarthika.

Panavally Thaliyaparampu Devi Temple – Festival

Panavally Thaliyaparampu Devi temple is located at Panavally near Cherthala in Alappuzha district, Kerala. The annual festival in the temple is held in Malayalam Meena Masam (March – April). This is a beautiful Kerala style temple with a Anakottil, Kodimaram, Nalambalam, Namaskara Mandapam, pond and shrines of upa devatas. The temple has a west facing chathura sreekovil. The annual festival is famous for various important Tantric rituals and pujas. Ezhunnallathu, Kalavaravu, caparisoned elephants, melam and traditional performing art forms of Kerala are part of the festival. Kalamkari ritual is part of the festivities. The annual festival begins with kodiyettam and concludes with arattu ceremony. Ada puzhugal and Thiri pidutham are some of the important rituals in the temple.

Jarasandha Death – Story Of Jarasandha Vadh In Mahabharata

The death of Jarasandha is in important incident in the Mahabharata. The story is famous as Jarasandha Vadh. Jarasandha was a mighty ruler, who at the time of his birth, was born in two parts. A maidservant namedJara had to join the two parts to make him a sturdy boy. Because of this face, nobody could defeat him in a physical combat. He subsequently became the mighty ruler of Magadha. He was the father-in-law of Kamsa, and when, Sri Krishna Bhagavan killed the latter in Mathura, Jarasandha became a sworn enemy of Sri Krishna. He harassed Krishna and the Yadavas so much by repeated attacks on Mathura that they had to shift their capital from Mathura to Dwarka. When Yudhishthira became the king of Indraprastha, he decided to perform the Rajasuya Yajna. But Sri Krishna knew that as long as Jarasandha was alive, Yudhisthira would not be able to complete it. So, in order to eliminate his sworn enemy and ensure the performance of the yajna unhindered, he took Bhima and Arjuna to Girivra

Moovottukonam Bhadrakali Temple – Festival

Moovottukonam Bhadrakali temple is located at Moovottukonam in Kanyakumari district, Kerala. The annual festival in the temple begins on Meena Bharani day in Malayalam Meenam month. The shrine is dedicated to Goddess Bhadrakali. This is a beautiful colorful temple that one sees across Tamil Nadu. The temple has a colorful square sanctum sanctorum. The walls and the roof are decorated with sculptures. There are shrines of upa devatas. The annual festival is famous for a unique ritual seen in Bhadrakali temples in Thiruvananthapuram region. Huge crown of Bhagavathy is taken by the priest Thookam is another important festival ritual in the temple.

North Paravur Venkatachalapathy Temple – Festival

North Paravur Venkatachalapathy temple is located at North Paravur in Ernakulam district, Kerala. The temple is dedicated to Bhagavan Vishnu. The annual six-day festival in the temple is held in Malayalam Meena Masam (March – April). The shrine is maintained by the GSB community. The main murti worshipped in the temple is the Venkatachalapathy form of Bhagavan Vishnu who is flanked by Goddess Lakshmi on left side and Bhoomi Devi on the right side. There is a pratishtha of Ganpati on the southwest side. As per history the original temple was built in the 17th century CE. The current temple structure was built in 1888 CE. The temple has a east facing square sanctum and a pond. Various Vaishnava temple rituals and pujas associated with the GSB community in Kerala are part of the festival.

Aattippuzhakkavu Bhagavathy Temple – Meena Bharani Festival – Thookam

Aattippuzhakkavu Bhagavathy temple is located at Attipuzhakkavu at West Veliyathunadu near Aluva in Ernakulam district, Kerala. The temple is dedicated to Goddess Bhagavathy. The annual festival in the temple is observed on the Meena Bharani day and is famous for Aal Thookam and Mudiyettu. The temple has a beautiful traditional style Kerala temple with a nalambalam, namaskara mandapam, chathura sreekovil, and small shrines of upa devatas. The annual festival in the temple begins with kodiyettam and is famous for various tantric pujas and rituals. Abhishekam, kalasham, and other similar rituals are held on the occasion. Ezhunnallathu and traditional temple art forms are part of the annual festival. The festival concludes with the arattu procession. The temple also observes Navratri with ezhuthiniruthu and Thrikarthika festival.

Kummannor Nadakkam Kunnu Devi Temple – Festival

Kummannor Nadakkam Kunnu Devi temple is located at Kummannor in Kottayam district, Kerala. This is a beautiful Kerala temple with a rare Garuda sculpture and is dedicated to Goddess Bhagavathy. The Meena Bharani day which falls in Malayalam Meena Masam (March – April) is an important festival in the temple. The temple has a beautiful traditional nalambalam, namaskara mandapam, chathura sreekovil, pond and small shrines of upa devatas. The annual festival in the temple is famous for various tantric pujas and rituals. Abhishekam, kalasham, and other similar rituals are held on the occasion. Ezhunnallathu, arattu, and traditional temple art forms are part of the annual festival. The temple also observes Navratri with ezhuthiniruthu and Thrikarthika festival.

Earayil Koottummel Devi Temple – Festival

Earayil Koottummel Devi temple is located at Eara on the Kurichy - Eara – Kavalam Road in Alappuzha district, Kerala. The shrine is also known as Koottummel Maha Bhadrakali Temple and is dedicated to Goddess Bhadrakali. The temple observes the Meena Bharani festival in Malayalam Meena Masam (March – April). The 10-day annual festival in the temple concludes on the Meda Bharani day (April – May) with Arattu. This is a traditional Kerala temple with a chathura sreekovil, nalambalam, kodimaram, shrines of upa devatas and namaskara mandapam. The Bharani day in Meena Masam is observed as the birthday of Goddess Bhagavathy. There is a procession with the sword of Bhagavathy four days after Meena Bharani. The annual Pongala festival is held on Makara Bharani day. The annual festival is famous on Meda Bharani day is famous for ezhunnallathu, shakti temple pujas and rituals, traditional performing art forms of Kerala. The shrine also observes Ramayana Masam, Shivratri, Navratri festival

Changanassery Kavil Bhagavathy Temple – History - Festival

Changanassery Kavil Bhagavathy temple is located at Puzhavathu near Changanassery in Kottayam district, Kerala. This is a traditional Kerala temple dedicated to Goddess Bhagathy. The annual Meena Bharani day, which is observed in Malayalam Meena Masam, is an important festival in the temple. The annual festival in the temple is held in Malayalam Dhanu Masam. Changanassery Kavil Bhagavathy Temple – History As per local history, Kavil Bhagavathy temple was the family deity of Changanassery Idam, a branch of the Thekkumkoor Royal family. Though the Thekkumkoor Royals were vanquished by King Marthanda Varma of Travancore in the 10th C AD, the temple survived. The temple was given its present form by Thekkumkoor Udaya Marthanda Varma Rajah nearly 900 years back. The sankalpam of Goddess Bhagavathy in the temple is that of Goddess Bhadrakali. The temple has a west facing sanctum. The shrine has a nalambalam, namaskara mandapam, chathura sreekovil and shrines of upa devatas. The annual

Ariyannur Harikanyaka Temple – Dedicated To Mohini Avatar Of Vishnu – History – Festival

Ariyannur Harikanyaka temple is located at Ariyannoor near Guruvayur in Thrissur district, Kerala. This is an ancient temple dedicated to Bhagavan Vishnu – Mohini form of Vishnu is worshipped in the shrine. The annual festival in the temple is held in Meena Masam (February – March). This is one of the rare temples exclusively dedicated to Mohini Avatar of Vishnu. The temple is famous for its mural paintings, sculptures and stone carvings (most of them are lost or in really bad shape). The shrine was built by the legendary Perumthachan. His chisel (uli) can be seen on the back side of the sanctum sanctorum. The temple has a two tier sanctum sanctorum – Chathura sreekovil with numerous sculptures.   The granite Adhishtana of the temple has ornate walls made of laterite. A traditional Namaskara mandapam, Nalambalam, Thidappalli, Balikkalppura are part of the temple. The murti of Goddess worshipped in the temple is nearly 5 feet tall. There is also a pratishta of Ayyappa in the main sr

Mahashivratri Fasting Rules - How To Observe Fast During Shivratri Vrat?

On the auspicious occasion of Maha Shivratri, Hindu devotees around the world observe Shivratri Vrat or Upvaas or fast. In 2024, Shivratri Vrat date is March 8. Vrat time is from Sunrise on March 8 to sunrise on March 9. The Maha Shivaratri fasting rules involve refraining from eating any food and not sleeping through out the night. Sivaratri literally means ‘the night of Mahadev Shiva’ and unlike other festivals associated with Hinduism there is no fun and merrymaking on the day. But the night provides an opportunity to cleanse the ignorance and realize that you are Brahman and open the door to bliss. The day after Shivaratri is Amavasai – the dark night or the no moon night. It symbolizes the evil forces – desire, greed, illusion, arrogance, jealousy, and anger – which dominate the Kaliyuga. Shiva is believed to have appeared in the form of ‘Lingodbhavamurti’ or Jyotirlinga on the Shivratri night. The Linga is an attempt to give form to the formless Brahman. Praying to

Meaning Of Murti In Hinduism – It Is Not Idol

The word murti is a commonly used word in Hinduism. The widely used meaning of the word murti is an image or an idol. The word ‘idol’ cannot be considered the proper translation of the Sanskrit word murti, for the simple reason that ‘idol’ has many connotations in English, most of which are derogatory. On the other hand, murti in Hindu religion is generally considered to be the embodied representation of the Divine principle. Such a representation could take any form, most of which are human. However, it is not uncommon to see many animal forms or the forms of other living beings as representing some divine power. The iconography in the different forms of murti is interesting as most of these forms are visual developments of the bodies that we find naturally. For instance, it is quite common to see a murti with a human form having multiple arms or heads. These represent the supra-normal powers of the divine beings. A murti does not merely represent a symbol of the Divine, but the m

Chengannur Vandimala Temple – Festival

Chengannur Vandimala temple is located at Vandimala in Chengannur town in Alappuzha district , Kerala. The temple is dedicated to Shiva and Goddess Parvati. Meena Bharani festival, which falls in Malayalam Meenam Masam (March – April), is an important festival in the temple. This is a beautiful temple with a chathura sreekovil. The shrine has murtis of Shiva and Goddess Parvati. The temple has shrines of upa devatas. The annual Meena Bharani is noted for various Shakti temple rituals and pujas. Melam and ezhunnallathu are part of the day.

7 March 2022 Tithi – Panchang – Hindu Calendar – Good Time – Nakshatra – Rashi

 Tithi in Panchang – Hindu Calendar on Monday, 7 March 2022 – It is Shukla Paksha Panchami tithi or the fifth day during the waxing or light phase of moon in Hindu calendar and Panchang in most regions. It is Shukla Paksha Panchami tithi or the fifth day during the waxing or light phase of moon till 11:06 PM on March 7. Then onward it is Shukla Paksha Sashti tithi or the sixth day during the waxing or light phase of moon on the entire day on March 8 and till 12:36 AM on March 9. (Time applicable in all north, south and eastern parts of India. All time based on India Standard Time.  Good – Auspicious time on March 7, 2022 as per Hindu Calendar – There is no good and auspicious time on the entire day.  Nakshatra  – Ashwini or Aswathy nakshatra till 4:44 AM on March 7 . Then onward it is Bharani nakshatra till 6:26 AM on March 8 . (Time applicable in north, south and eastern parts of India).  In western parts of India (Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa, north Karnataka and south Rajas