In Treta yug era Lord Vishnu incarnated as Ram through King Dasharath’s wife Kaushalya in Punarvasu Nakshatra (seventh planet) and Kark Lagna (Cancer ascendant) on Chaitra Shukla Navami (ninth day in the bright fortnight of the Hindu lunar month Chaitra). Eminent Poet Tulsi Das started composing his great epic Ram CharitManas on this auspicious day […]
Navaratris (“Nav” means Nine “Ratri” means Night, hence Navaratri means Nine Nights) comes in one year. Only two of them viz, Chaitra Shukla Pratipada to Navami (First to ninth day in the bright fortnight of the Hindu lunar month Chaitra) and Ashwin Shukla Pratipada to Navami (First to ninth date in the light fortnight of […]
Sheetla, the Goddess presiding over small donkey is worshipped on Chaitra Krishna Ashtami (eighth day in the dark fortnight of the Hindu lunar month Chaitra). It is believed that worshiping the Goddess Sheetala on this day protects against small pox etc. Goddess Sheetala is known as the Goddess of disease epidemics and disaster. Fresh food […]
Holi is a festival of joy, gaiety and merry-making. In the modern context, Holi is a carnival, Thanksgiving day, New Year Eve, the Calgary Stampede, first April Fools Day, and Halloween, all rolled into one. Holi is celebrated in March (Phalgun in Hindu Calendar) to mark the arrival of the spring which brings colours, and […]
The word Shivratri, translated as The Night of Shiv, is made up of two words- Shiv, the regenerating aspect of God, and Ratri which means night. It falls during the dark fortnight, Krishna Paksha, of Phalguna (February/March). It is considered to be the night festival for the devotees of Shiv. They observe a 24-hour fast […]
The word Navaratri is composed of two words- Nava and Ratri. Literally, Nava means nine and Ratri means night. It is also called Durga Pooja as the devotees of Mother Durga worship her and observe fasting for nine days. This festival is celebrated twice a year, once in Chaitra (March/April) and again in Ashwina (September/October). […]
This is the most important festival when Hindus celebrate the birth day of Lord Krishn. Janmashtami is to Hindus what Christmas is to Christians. The word Janmashtami is a combination of two words- Janma means birth and Ashtami means the eighth day. The Ashtami refers to the eighth day of the dark fortnight of the […]
Diwali is a distortion of the Sanskrit word ‘Deepavali’ meaning row or cluster of lights. This most celebrated festival of Hindus is called so because of the lights that form its main characteristic. Diwali is celebrated on the new moon day of the month of Kartik (October/November). Significance of Diwali: On Diwali night, little clay […]
