Invitations for Indian events

Baisakhi festival

admin — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 13:43:48 +0000

Unlike several other festivals celebrated in India, Baisakhi has its distinct accent and charm. It is a seasonal festival usually celebrated by the Northern people, especially Punjab and neighbouring states to honour God for a good harvest. Therefore, it is observed at the first date of Baisakhi, generally on 13 or 14 of April marking the beginning of Solar year. Not only in Northern India, is the festival of Baisakhi celebrated but also in Kerala by name of Vishu and in Tamil Nadu too. Known to be day of great religious significance, devotees make themselves pure by a dip in the holy rivers ate the very dawn break. This signifies the start of New Year. Various prayers and practices are performed by the farmers followed by the commencement of great harvest. Generally, people are seen dressed up in their typical folk attires performing various arts. Dancing and singing are the most common and enchanting practises to be seen on this day. It is the same festival which is linked to the most prominent Punjab’s Bhangra and Giddha where these dance forms are actually performed in groups. Also, various social and cultural fairs near the bounty fields are organised where people meet and enjoy sharing sweets with happiness. It is a common sight to see people forgiving old amenities and drowning in the sea of delight and contentment. Apart from this, several performances and traditional processions occupy the highlights. There is yet another reason for this festival celebration. On this day, in the auspicious year of 1699, the prestigious order of Khalsa was organised by the tenth Guru of Sikhs, Guru Gobind Singh. Bhangra and Gidda

Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Jayanti - constitution of India

admin — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 21:40:20 +0000

There are many festivals that are celebrated in India marking the birth of a legend or a prominent person. One such festival is the Ambedkar Jayanti. The festival is celebrated in the fond memory of Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar on April 14 of every year. This was the day when this great personality was born in the year 1891. The festival is observed all over the nation. Also known as the prominent face and founder of the Constitution, Dr. Ambedkar is very famous amongst the country for his dedication of his entire life for the development of the deprived people of the society. Due to these reasons he is also regarded as the prominent social reformer and a significant face in the freedom struggle saga of India. Belonging to a scheduled caste, he himself took a step in improvising the conditions of people like him. He was the first one in his whole society to receive the formal education and even go abroad to pursue the higher studies in Law. Later on he practiced law for many years along with getting his papers and journals printed which consisted of the avocation of the fundamental rights of the people. He also advocated for the political rights and freedom of the deprived society of the untouchables in India becoming their voice. For his whole life the only motto he kept in his mind was to eradicate the caste system from this nation. Up to an extent, he was very much successful in establishing his goals though provisioned clauses in the constitution of India. This day is also observed as the national public holiday. On this day, huge processions along with various cultural programs and conventions are organized by the dalit communities in honor of this great soul. Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B._R._Ambedkar

Akshaya Tritiya

admin — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 21:27:32 +0000

India is known to host thousands of festivals in a single year. The festivals include national, religious, cultural and regional festivals. One such religious festival very common amongst the Hindus and Jains is Akshaya Tritya. Considered to be holy day, this festival is observed in the month of Vaishaka or between April and May. This day basically marks the worshipping of Lord Vishnu and Goddess Lakshmi. This festival has both the astrological as well as religious significance. Purchasing gold on this day is considered to be very holistic and fortunate. Therefore, most of the people who believe and celebrate this festival often indulge in shopping of gold on this auspicious day. Traditionally, this day is celebrated as the birth of Hindi sage Parshurama who is the sixth incarnation of the creator Lord Vishnu. The two words of the festival carry a heavy significance. By ‘Akshaya’ one means never diminishing or never ending and tritiya signifies the lunar day. It is a common belief that people indulging in good and generous activities like charity are blessed with more luck and success. Apart from that, the day is also considered to be very auspicious for carrying out a new venture such as investing in real estate or inauguration of a new place or starting of a new business. The venture being made on this day is known to proper more ahead in the future. Thus, this auspicious day is observed by many people belonging to both the Hindu and Jain religion.

Radhastami- the appearance of Lord Krishna

admin — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 03:32:06 +0000

There would be hardly any temple in India of Lord Krishna, Where Goddess Radha is not standing beside Him. Radha and Krishna are considered to be eternal consorts and it is believed that Lord Krishna’s pastimes can never be complete without Srimati Radha. Radhastami is considered to be the most auspicious day of birth of Radha to Vrisbhanu Maharaj and Kirtida Devi in the town of Rawal. Some people in India holds the notion that Radha was elder to Krishna; however, revealed Scriptures say that She was born 15 days after Krishna’s birth. Her birthday falls on the eight day of the bright fortnight of the Hindu month Bhadra.

The day is very special for all devotees of Lord Krishna, but devotees following Gaudiya-Vaisnavism consider this day to be even more important than Janamashtami, the appearance day of Lord Krishna.

The scriptures say that Goddess Radha is even more merciful than Lord Krishna Himself, and she makes it so easy that devotees don’t have to observe any fast on this day (though some devotees prefer to observe fasting till mid-day). Abhishek or ritualistic bathing ceremony of the deity of Goddess Radha is done and then the bathing water, called caranamrita in Sanskrit, is then distributed amongst the devotees. Several kinds of food preparations are made and offered to the deities of Radha and Krishna and the remnants or prasadam is then distributed.

Devotees read from various scriptures about the pastimes of Lord Krishna and Radha and pray to Goddess Radha to help them see Lord Krishna face to face. Radha is said to be the internal energy of Lord Krishna and it is widely believed that it is not possible to attain Lord Krishna’s mercy without having obtained the mercy of Goddess Radha first. Radha is considered to be the topmost devotee of Lord Krishna and by Her devotion to Him, She has completely controlled Lord Krishna.

Image credit: http://www.antiquetemple.com/paintings/raas-lila-of-radha-krishna-details-689.html

Rath Yatra – The annual Chariot Festival of Lord Jagganath

admin — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 03:20:20 +0000

After Kumbh Mela, it is probably the Rath Yatra or chariot festival of Lord Jagganath that sees millions of people gathering trying to pull the Lord’s chariot. This Hindu festival is held at the city of Puri in the state of Orissa. The festival is held in the Hindu month of Ashadha (June-July) and lasts for eight days.

Lord Jagganath is none other than Lord Krishna Himself and stays in the temple of Puri along with His elder brother Balram and sister Subhadra. Every year the three Deities along with the divine wheel Sudarsana are taken out from their temple in a detailed procession and are placed on their respective rath or chariots. The chariot is then pulled by millions of devotees and taken to Gundica temple, a distance of around 3 Kilometres. After 7 days, the three divine personalities return back to their original places in Puri temple.

Every year sees the three wooden chariots constructed anew in accordance with the religious specifications. Each Chariot is build according to the unique scheme prescribed and the same methodology has been followed for centuries. Lord Jagganath’s chariot, also called Nandighosa, is 45 feet high and has 16 wheels, each of a diameter of 7 feet. The canopy of this chariot is made out of red and yellow colour. Lord Balram’s chariot, also called Taladhwaja, is 44 feet high and has 14 wheels, also of 7 feet diameter. The canopy of this chariot is red and blue colour. Goddess Subhadra’s chariot, also called Darpadalana, is 43 feet high and has 14 wheels and has a canopy of red and black colour.

The Jagganath temple represents Dwarka and Gundica temple represents Vrindavan. When Lord Jagganath, who is non-different from Lord Krishna, starts missing Vrindavan (where He spent His childhood and adolescence) and inhabitants of Vrindavan very much and the separation becomes intolerable, He asks permission from His wife, Goddess Lakshmi, to go out on pretext of going out for some fresh air. And then the devotees take him to Gundica that represents Vrindavan. He stays there for around a week along with His elder brother and sister and all three of Them are then pulled back in the chariots to their respective places in the Puri temple.

Image credit: Wikipedia

Kumbh Mela

admin — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 03:07:18 +0000

All festivals of Hindus are primarily religious in significance and character, and Kumbh Mela is one of the main festivals for Hindus. It has been sometimes recorded to be one of the largest gatherings to be held anywhere on the planet.

Unlike all other festivals, Kumbh Mela is not an annual festival. This festival is held four times in every twelve years. Kumbh means a pot and mela means fair. The legend says that ages ago, demigods and demons, who are usually always at odds, signed a temporary deal to work together for churning the milk ocean and extracting the nectar of immortality from the lap of the ocean. Demigods and demons worked together to churn the ocean and finally the nectar of immortality appeared. However, the demons ran away with this kumbha or pot without giving demigods their rightful share on the nectar. Then ensued a fight for nectar that lasted for twelve days, and during this battle some drops of the nectar from the kumbha fell at four different places on this earth and they were Nasik, Haridwar, Prayag and Ujjain. The Kumbha Mela is organized at these four places during the twelve year period.

The ardh or half Kumbh Mela is observed every six years at Prayag and Haridwar. The purna or complete Kumbh Mela is held every twelve years at four places: Haridwar, Ujjain, Prayag or Nasik. And the maha or the greatest Kumbh Mela is held once every 144 years (after 12 purna Kumbh Melas) at Prayag. The last Maha Kumbh Mela to be held was in year 2001 and saw over 60 million people gathering to take a dip in holy waters.

Taking ritual bath in the holy waters is the major event of the festival. This is the only time when one can get to see holy men, who usually hide themselves in cave of Himalayas, coming down to take a dip in the holy waters. A lot of westerns who happened to attend one of the Kumbh Melas have talked about it as a life changing experience. There is definitely something divine to this fare.

Interesting link: http://goindia.about.com/od/festivalpictures/ig/Kumbh-Mela-Pictures/

Dussehra – Vijaydashami

admin — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 02:43:25 +0000

Dussehra or Vijaydashami is one of the most important Hindu festivals celebrated all across India and Nepal and also some parts of Bangladesh. Vijay in Hindi means victory and dashami means the tenth day; the festival observes victory of Lord Ram over the ten-headed demon king Ravana, and this particular day happened to fall on tenth day of the bright fortnight of Hindu month of Ashvin (September-October) and hence the name Vijaydashami. The celebrations are actually ten days long, Dussehra being the tenth and the last day. The first nine days are also called Navratre during which Goddess Durga is worshipped in her many forms.

It is believed that the powerful demon king Ravana was tormenting the saintly people during that time and Lord Ram, believed to be seventh incarnation of Lord Vishnu, took advent specifically to kill this evil demon and protect the saintly people. To cut the long story small, Lord Ram was exiled to forest for 14 years by His step mother, and during the 13^th year of their exile, Ravana abducted Mother Sita, the consort of Lord Ram. Thus ensued a fierce battle, which ended with the killing of the demon king and the day he was killed, is celebrated as Dussehra or Vijaydashami.

Effigies of Ravana are burnt during this day during the evening time. A lot of outdoor fairs are organised and large parades are also taken out depicting different events of Lord Ram’s life. Throughout Northern India, Ram-lilas’ (dramatic version of epic Ramayana) are organised which go on for all ten days of the festival and are a big attraction both for children and adults. Ardent Hindus also offer special worship to Deities and it is not unusual to see people with a red vermillion mark on their forhead.

India-Republic Day

admin — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 03:02:04 +0000

Indian Republic Day

In India, every year, we celebrate 26^th January as the Republic Day. It was on 26^th January 1950, the day when our constitution officially came into force and our country became a sovereign, socialist, secular, republic and democratic country. The Republic Day has been declared as a National holiday. Every Indian citizen celebrates the republic day with great patriotism, enthusiasm and pride as one of the most important national festivals of India. In New Delhi, which is the national Capital of the country, special Republic day parade is organized every year. The grand parade, which starts from the Rajghat and ends at the Red fort, is the main attraction of the celebration held in the Capital. The celebration begins when the President of India along with other distinguished chief guests arrives and the President hoists the national tri-color flag of the country. Next after the flag hoisting, the President gives away the most prestigious and important National bravery awards including the Ashok Chakra, the Kirti Chakra, the Param Veer Chakra, the Veer Chakra and the Maha Veer Chakra to the brave soldiers or their family members who sacrificed their lives to protect the sovereignty of the country. The event is then continued by a national parade by all the different wings of the Indian army, the Air Force as well as the Navy with their official decorations. The President of India, as being the Supreme Commander in chief of the armed forces of the country, takes their salute. The cultural heritage and diversity of different states of the country is also exhibited in the form of vibrant displays and tableaux in the grand parade. Artists from all over the country perform cultural programs on traditional and patriotic songs. Even some selected children are given the Children’s Bravery Awards for their exceptional bravery acts. The republic day parade is broadcast by the National Television and is also watched by millions of people all over the country. The Republic day is also celebrated in various states with hoisting of National flag by the Governor/Chief Minister of the State in the public function at their respective state capitals. This day is also observed in all the schools, colleges and educational institutions of the country where the head of the institution hoists the national flag and takes the salute of their students. Every Indian citizen is proud to be a part of such a rich, cultural and democratic country. People all over the country come together and celebrates this day with tremendous zeal and enthusiasm.

Baladeva Purnima – The birthday of Lord Balram

admin — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 02:54:28 +0000

Balram is the elder brother of Lord Krishna and Balram Purnima is considered to be His birthday. Balram Purnima falls on the full moon day of Hindu month of Bhadra and is followed by Sri Krishna’ birth on the eighth day of the same month.

Balram was son of Vasudeva and Devaki and Kamsa had imprisoned them both as one prediction said that the eighth child of Vasudeva and Devaki would be the reason of Kamsa’s death. Evil Kamsa, out of scariness, imprisoned his own sister and brother-in-law so that he could kill all the children born of the couple. Balram was the seventh child of Devaki and Vasudev; however, by divine arrangement, He was transferred from womb of Devaki to womb of Rohini, who was the other wife of Vasudeva and was residing in Vrindavan at that time. Because of this reason, one other name of Balram is Sankarshan, which means that he was transferred from one womb to another.

The Hindu scripture Srimad Bhagavatam says that Krishna is the fountain head of all incarnations and there is no other truth superior to Him. The same scripture says that Balram is the first expansion of Lord Krishna and it is from Balram that all other Vishnu incarnations appear. Thus, Balram Prabhu is also Supreme Lord and is second to none but Krishna.

Devotees observe fasting on this day and read about various pastimes of Lord Balram, who is famously called Haldhar, or the one who carries plough. He is also considered to be original Spiritual Master, and He is the one who can guide devotees on the right path so that they can meet Krishna and end their repeated cycle of birth and death. Thus devotees on this day pray for Lord Balram’s mercy.

Durga Puja

admin — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 18:06:31 +0000

Most of the Hindu festivals are connected to worshipping of divine or some of the pastimes of divine. Durga Puja is no exception. Durga Puja is one of the very important festivals for Hindus and is the biggest festival in Bengal. Durga Devi or Goddess Durga is presiding deity of material energy. The festival of Durga Puja lasts for nine days in total, and thus the festival is also called navratre in many parts of the country; the last day of the festival sees the ritual of immersing the deity of Goddess Durga in a water body like river, lake or ocean. Three different forms of Goddess are worshipped during the nine days. The initial three days of the navratre, it is Goddess Durga that is worshipped - the Goddess sitting on a giant lion and holding different weapons in her ten arms. Goddess Lakshmi, the consort of Lord Narayan or Vishnu, is worshipped during the following three days and the last three days of the festival sees the worship of Goddess Saraswati – the Goddess of learning and knowledge. This culminates the nine days festival; however the next day or tenth day is the festival of Vijaydashami – the festival to celebrate the victory of Lord Ram over the demon king Ravana; and thus the festival becomes ten days long instead of nine. Many different rituals are observed during the nine days dedicated to the worship of Goddess Durga. Many people abstain from eating grains and beans during the whole nine days and even those people who normally eat meat products become vegetarian during this period. Recitations of Durga Shaptshati take place during the whole nine days. Durga Shaptshati is composition of different verses glorifying Durga Devi and has in total 700 verses, and thus the term Shaptshati, which is 700 in Sanskrit.