Twin Celebration at Sri Meenashi Temple During the Aadi Month Aadi Poorm and Bhagavathi Seva

Added by Indo American News on August 7, 2014.
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Bhagavathi Seva, Invoking the Devi in the form of lamp at Sri MTS.

Bhagavathi Seva, Invoking the Devi in the form of lamp at Sri MTS.

By M.K. Sriram

 PEARLAND: Dakshinayana Punyakalam, the night of the Devas, begins on the first day of the month Aadi. It is marked on July 17,2014. The sun changes its direction during this period and next six months is the night time of the gods. Due to this reason, secular auspicious events are not held in the month.  However Goddess in the form of Devi is celebrated through numerous pujas and festivals.  In Tamil Nadu Aadi Pooram is celebrated whereas is Kerala Bhagavathy Seva is celebrated in the same month.

Sri Meenakshi Temple celebrated Aadi Pooram on Wednesday, July 30.  It was a supremely divine experience for the 50 odd devotees who had specially come to participate.  This is a very auspicious day for both Sri Andal and Sri Meenakshi. Andal’s birthday is celebrated with great grandeur at her birth place Srivilliputtur.  Similarly, this day is also very special to the divine mother Parvathy.  This festival is celebrated with great gusto in Madurai Meenakshi temple.

MTS celebrates this event in a very unique way. Both the utsava murthis are kept side by side and the entire puja worship takes place at the same time.  An elaborate abhishekam was performed to the chanting of Durga and Sri Sookthams.  Following this both the devis were decorated most beautifully.  They were then carried on a palanquin by devotees on a procession around the temple.  Following this they were seated on the exquisitely decorated oonjal (swing). It was such a splendid sight to behold – the gentle movement of the swing accompanied by the sweet songs of devotees, sending waves of exhilaration in the hearts of the devotees.

On Friday, August 1, in the auspicious month of Aadi, Bhagavathy Seva,  a very special and unique puja offering to Goddess Bhagavathy (Durga) was celebrated at MTS.  This puja originated in Kerala and is very popular there.  This puja at Sri Meenakshi Temple attracts a number of devotees not only of Kerala origin, but also from other areas.  Anyone participating in this puja for the first time is so touched by the spiritual experience that they invariably return whenever it is conducted again.

Sri Meenakshi and Sri Anadal (Lakshmi), Aadi pooram Puja at MTS with Priests Sri (Parameswaran, Manicka Sundara Bhattar, Sridharan Raghavan and Pavan Kumar).

Sri Meenakshi and Sri Anadal (Lakshmi), Aadi pooram Puja at MTS with Priests Sri (Parameswaran, Manicka Sundara Bhattar, Sridharan Raghavan and Pavan Kumar).

The priest invoked the Goddess Bhagavathy in a tall brass oil lamp decked in flower garlands, placed on a colorful kolam representing a lotus.  This lamp was surrounded by more oil lamps symbolizing Ganesha, Saraswathy and others. In typical Kerala tradition, this puja is performed in tantric style.  It was a glorious sight to see the jyothis swaying gently to chanting of various stotrams like Lalitha Sahasranamam, Lalitha Ashtothram, Soundarya Lahiri and Lalitha Trishati while archana to the Goddess was being performed. The puja concluded with a most spectacular arathi when Goddess Bhagvathy radiated brilliantly lighting the divine lamp in everyone’s heart.

Special Kerala style neivedya prasadams including neyappam and payasam were distributed to the devotees after the puja.

All in all, the supremely divine pujas  conducted by MTS, with the support of the temple priests, staff and the volunteers for making these two festivals unforgettable events. We thank RAC lead S. Narayanan and coordinators M.K. Sriram and Sasi Pillai for organizing these wonderful Pujas.