Annapurna Puja Celebrated at Houston Durgabari Temple
From Left. Dr. Bishnupada Goswami, Dr. Amrit Achari, Consulate General P. Harish, Nandita Harish, Mridula Karna, Kalpana Mookerjee, Gauranga Mookerjee, and others.
HOUSTON: On Thursday April 18 around 5:30 PM. Head priest Dr. Bishnupada Goswami performed Annapurna Puja at the temple of Houston Durgabari Society located at 13944 Schiller Rd, Houston, TX 77082.
Annapurna Puja is an important festival of West Bengal. Goddess Annapurna is the Goddess of plenty. It is believed that Goddess Annapurna’s barn is never empty.
‘Anna’ means food grains. ‘Purna’ means full, absolute and perfect. Annapurna is the one who grants sustenance to everyone. Goddess Annapurna is worshipped with great devotion.
Lord Shiva had begged alms from Goddess Annapurna who is the supreme energy of Lord Shiva for achieving perfection in knowledge and renunciation. Annapurna is another form of Goddess Parvati who grants nourishment. She is the life force of Shiva. He is incomplete without Goddess Annapurna. To attain perfection in wisdom and renunciation, Shiva seeks her nourishment.
Goddess Annapurna teaches us the art of giving. Generosity and renunciation are her strengths. Through renunciation she teaches equality to all. Mother Annapurna nurtures us each day by giving us food as well as sustaining our lives in so many ways. Goddess Annapurna is thanked by her devotees for her generosity and kindness. Ardent devotees rejoice to thank the Mother Divine from the deepest core of their hearts.
Sponsored by Gauranga (Goray) Mookerjee and Kalpana Mookerjee, this occasion was witnessed by many devotees, and senior members of the society.
Puja and Havan were witnessed by many including honorable Consul General P. Harish, his wife Nandita Harish, Gauranga and Kalpana Mookerjee, Amrit and Gauri Achari, Mridula Karna, Jayanta Bandopadhyay, Geeta and Santosh Mandal, and others.
A special Chandipaat was performed by Consul General P. Harish and Dr. Amrit Achari.
After puja, and Havan, Dr Goswami performed aarti followed by dinner/prasad. The devotees were very enthusiastic about being part of this occasion.
Sponsorsy Gauranga (Goray) and Kalpana Mookerjee have Annapurna Puja as their Traditional family puja in India for many years.