Festivals of India: Jagannath Rath Yatra

Posted on June 24, 2020 by memoriesandsuch

Yesterday, June 23, was the most important festival in the state of Odisha. It was the chariot festival or the rath yatra of its most famous dieties, the Jagannath of Puri.

The term Rath Yatra particularly refers to the annual Rathajatra in Odisha, Jharkhand, West Bengal and other East Indian states, particularly the chariot festival fof Puri that involves a public procession with a chariot with deities Jagannath, an avatar of Lord Vishhnu, his brother Balabhadra and his sister Subhadra, along with his weapon, the Sudarshana Chakra on a ratha, a wooden deula-shaped chariot. The rath yatra attracts over a million Hindu pilgrims who join the procession each year.

According to Knut Jacobsen, a Rathayatra has religious origins and meaning, but the events have a major community heritage, social sharing and cultural significance to the organisers and participants. Ratha Yatra processions have been historically common in Vishnu-related traditions in Hinduism across India, as well as in Shiva-related traditions, and amongst the Thirtankars in Jainism and the saints and goddesses in Nepal plus the tribal folk religions found in the eastern states of India.

Derived from two Sanskrit words, Ratha meaning chariot or carriage and yatra which means a journey or pilgrimage, the word Ratha Yatra means a pilgrimage which the deity will undertake in a chariot, accompanied by the public. The term appears in the medieval texts of India as the Puranas, which mention the Rathayatra of Surya or the Sun god, of Devi or the Mother Goddess, and of Vishnu. These chariot journeys have elaborate celebrations where the individuals or the deities come out of a temple accompanied by the public journeying with them through the Kshetra which refers to the region, city or even the local streets to another temple or to the river or the sea. Sometimes the festivities include returning to the sacrosanctum of the temple.

The Jagannath Ratha Yatra also called the Car or Chariot Festival is the oldest Ratha Yatra descriptions can be found in Brahma Purana, Padma Purana, Skanda Purana and Kapila Samhita. This annual festival is celebrated on Ashadha Shukla Paksha Dwitiya or the second day in bright fortnight of Ashadha month. This year it was on 23 June 2020. The festival commemorates Lord Jagannath’s annual visit to the Gundicha Temple via the Mausi Maa or the maternal aunt’s Temple near Saradha Bali in Puri.

As part of the Ratha Yatra, the deities Lord Jagannath, his elder brother Lord Balabhadra and younger sister Devi Subhadra, along with the Sudarshan Chakra, are taken out in a procession out of the main shrine of Jagannath Temple and placed in the Ratha or Chariot which are ready in front of the Temple in a process called ‘Pahandi’. The procession starts with ‘Madan Mohan’ then ‘Sudarshana’ Balabhadra, Subhadra, and Jagannath Deva.

After that, Gajapati Maharaja, the king of Puri, who is also known as the first servitor of the Lords, does the ‘Chhera Pahanra’ ritual or the holy cleaning of the chariots in which the king wears the outfit of a sweeper and sweeps all around the deities and the chariots. The Gajapati King cleanses the road before the chariots with a gold-handled broom and sprinkles sandalwood water and powder with utmost devotion. This ritual signified that under the lordship of Jagannath, there is no distinction between the powerful sovereign Gajapati King and the most humble devotee. After this ritual, finally the devotees pull the chariots up to the Gundicha Temple, which is also known as the birthplace of the Lords.

Once the deities reach the Gundicha temple, in the onward car festival, they are taken in the Pahandi and installed on the holy platform, called the Ratna Simhasan. The Lords remain at the Gundicha Temple for nine days. After that, the process of taking back the deities to the Main temple is observed. The return journey or return car festival of Puri Jagannath Ratha Jatra is known as Bahuda Yatra or Punar Yatra.

Three richly decorated chariots, resembling temple structures, are pulled through the streets of Puri called Badadanda. This commemorates the annual journey of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, and their sister Devi Subhadra to their aunt’s temple, the Gundicha Temple which is situated at a distance of over 3 km from the main temple. The chariots are richly decorated with painted flower petals and other designs on the wheels, the wood-carved charioteer and horses, and the inverted lotuses on the wall behind the throne by local artists and painters. The huge chariots of Jagannath pulled during Rath Jatra is the etymological origin of the English word Juggernaut. The Ratha-Jatra is also termed as the Shri Gundicha jatra.This is the only time when devotees who are not allowed in the temple premises, such as non-Hindus and foreigners, get a glimpse of the deities.

The three chariots of Balabhadra, Subhadra and Jagannatha are newly constructed every year with wood of specified trees. They are customarily brought from the ex-princely state of Dasapalla by a specialist team of carpenters who have hereditary rights and privileges for the same. The logs are traditionally set afloat as rafts in the river Mahanadi. These are collected near Puri and then transported by road. The three chariots are decorated as per the unique scheme prescribed and followed for centuries. Covered with bright canopies made of stripes of red cloth and combined with those of black, yellow and green colours, the huge chariots are lined across the wide avenue in front of the majestic temple close to its eastern entrance, which is also known as the Sinhadwara or the Lion’s Gate.

Lord Jagannatha’s chariot is called Nandighosa. It is forty-five feet high and forty-five feet square at the wheel level. It has sixteen wheels, each of seven-foot diameter, and is decked with a cover made of red and yellow cloth. Lord Jagannatha is identified with Krishna, who is also known as Pitambara, the one attired in golden yellow robes and hence the distinguishing yellow stripes on the canopy of this chariot. The chariot of Lord Balarama, called the Taladhwaja, is the one with the Palm Tree on its flag. It has fourteen wheels, each of seven-foot diameter and is covered with red and green cloth. Its height is forty-four feet. The chariot of Subhadra, known as Dwarpadalana, literally “trampler of pride,” is forty-three feet high with twelve wheels, each of seven-foot diameter. This chariot is decked with a covering of red and black cloth – black being traditionally associated with Shakti and the Mother Goddess.

Around each of the chariots are nine Parsva devatas, painted wooden images representing different deities on the chariots’ sides. Each of the chariots is attached to four horses. These are of different colours – dark ones for Balarama, white ones for Jagannatha, and red ones for Subhadra. Each chariot has a charioteer called Sarathi. The three charioteers attached to the chariots of Jagannatha, Balarama and Subhadra respectively are Daruka, Matali and Arjuna.

During the annual event, devotees from all over the world throng to Puri with an earnest desire to help pulling the Lords’ chariots. They consider this as an auspicious act. The huge processions accompanying the chariots play devotional songs with drums, sounding plates of bell metal, cymbals, etc. The Ratha carts themselves are approximately 45 feet high and 35 feet square and it takes about 2 months to construct the chariots which are pulled by the thousands of pilgrims who turn up for the event; the chariots are built anew each year only from the Neem tree and the wood of no other tree is used.

There are 6 events which are considered as the key activities of this annual spectacular event:

The ‘Snana Yatra’ is the one where the Deities take bath and then fall sick for almost 2 weeks. They are thus treated with ayurvedic medicines and a set of traditional practices.
On ‘Sri Gundicha’, the Deities are taken in the onward car festival from the main shrine to the Gundicha Temple.
On the Bahuda Yatra, the return car festival, the Lords are brought back to the main Temple.
The Suna Besha or Golden Attire is the event when the Deities wear golden ornaments and give darshan from the chariots, to the devotees.
The ‘Adhara Pana’ is an important event during Ratha Yatra. On this day sweet drink is offered to the invisible spirits and souls, who would have visited the celestial event of the Lords, as believed by the Hindu tradition.
And finally the Deities are taken back inside the main shrine i.e. the Jagannath Temple and installed on the Ratna Simhasan, on the last day of the Ratha Yatra activity which is called as ‘Niladri Bije’.

This year, because of the coronavirus panademic and the Covid-19 situation in India and especially in the state of Odisha, with many states under lockdown, uncertainty looms large over the conduct of the annual Rath Yatra for the first time in 284 years. The festival even took place during the great famine of 1766 which was believed to have killed millions and during the cholera epidemic. The festival which took place in Puri this year, was just a token festival which was shorn of all the guander and pomp and pageantry it usually has. The rituals leading to the festival which usually takes place outside took place inside the temple and the festival was short of its usual pomp and splendor without devotes in a historic first, a day after the Supreme Court of India allowed the state to hold the seven-day chariot festival in a restricted fashion amid the coronavirus.

I hope in the near future, when things are more normal, I can make it to Puri to witness this grand spectacle. If you want to read more about the state of Odisha, which I have written in detail, please read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4 and Part 5.

Festivals of India: Akshaya Tritiya

Posted on April 27, 2020 by memoriesandsuch

Also known as Akti or Akha Teej, Akshaya Tritiya is an annual spring time festival celebrated by Hindus and Jains. It falls on the third Tithi or lunar day of bright half or Shukla Paksha of the Vaisakha month which falls every year between April and May according to the lunisolar Hindu calendar. It is observed as an auspicious time regionally by Hindus and Jains in India and Nepal, as signifying the “third day of unending prosperity”. The word Akshaya means “never diminishing” as the festival is associated with wealth, prosperity and happiness and Tritiya means third day. This year’s Akshaya Tritiya fell yesterday, April 26. This day is said to be very auspicious if you are planning on starting a new venture as anything started on this day will be successful.

Akshaya Tritiya has lot of religious significance for both Hindus and Jains. This day is the birthday of Lord Parashurama, one of the ten Dashavataras of Lord Vishnu and is also the starting day of Treta Yuga after Satya Yuga. It was on Akshaya Tritiya that the poor Brahmin Sudama offered flattened rice or aval to Lord Krishna, who in turn blessed him with bountiful wealth and happiness. On this day, it is said Lord Krishna gave the Akshaya Patra to Draupadi when the Pandavas started for the Vanavasa, so that they always have food in abundance. The sage Veda Vyasa started writing the epic Mahabharata on this day and it was the day when the holy river Ganges descended upon the Earth. The annual Puri Jagannath Rath Yatra also begins on this day.

It is also belived that the God of Wealth and the treasurer of all deities ‘Kubera’ received his riches and position by praying to Lord Shiva at Shivapuram on Akshaya Tritiya. For the Jains, this day commemorates the day the first Tirthankara, Rishabhdev ended his year-long asceticism by consuming sugarcane juice poured into his cupped hands. Some Jains refer to the festival as Varshi Tapa and on this day, fasting and ascetic austerities are marked by Jains, particularly at pilgrimage sites such as Palitana in Gujarat.

Akshaya Tritiya is considered a very auspicious day because it is a day of manifold blessings. People believe that any good work done on this day will give exponential returns. This is why this day is considered very auspicious to buy gold, silver and precious stones. Goddess Lakshmi signifies wealth and it is said that if one invests in gold, silver or precious stones silver on this day, she will bless you with prosperity and wealth.

This year’s festivities are bound to be very muted because of the COVID-19 panademic worldwide, but if there is just one thing I would pray for on this way would be that we find a cure to this virus soon and things get back to normal!

Leaving you with this Kanakadhara Stotram which Adi Shankaracharya recited for a poor couple on this day at whose house he stopped for Bhiksha or alms and was offered their only available gooseberry. This version of the stotram is sung by the unparalleled M.S Subbalakshmi and is my favourite version.

Festivals of India: Hanuman Jayanti

Posted on April 8, 2020 by memoriesandsuch

Celebrating the birth of India’s ancient superhero, Hanuman Jayanti is celebrated on different days in different parts of India. In most states of India, the festival is observed either in Chaitra, usually on the day of Chaitra Pournimaa or in Vaishakha, while in a few states like Kerala and Tamil Nadu, it is celebrated in the month Dhanu, also called Margazhi in Tamil. The date of Hanuman Jayanti varies from year to year and across India, various states and communities celebrate it in different times of the year. Communities in South India usually celebrate this festival during the Margazhi month of Moola Nakshathram as that month is believed to be when Hanuman was born. Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, however, celebrate Hanuman Jayanti from Chaitra Purnima to the tenth day of Krishna Paksha in the month of Vaishaka. Maharashtra places the holiday on the full moon day during the month of Chaitra.This year, the festival is celebrated today, the 8th of April, across India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and across the world where his devotees reside.

Also known as Sankatmochan, Dukhbhanjan, Maruti Nandan or Pawanputra, Lord Hanuman is an ardent devotee of Lord Sri Rama and is widely known for his unflinching devotion to Sri Rama. He is said to be able to assume any form at will, wield the mace or gada as well as many other celestial weapons, lift and move mountains, dart through the air, seize the clouds and equally rival Garuda in the swiftness of flight. Hanuman is seen as a symbol of strength and energy and also someone to turn to when a devotee is in difficulty.

On Hanuman Jayati, devotees of Lord Hanuman celebrate him and seek his protection and blessings. They flock to temples to worship him and present religious offerings. In return, The devotees receive Prasad or the holy offering by the temple priests as sweets, flowers, coconuts, tilak, sacred ash and holy water. People also celebrate him on this day by reciting various devotional hyms and prayers like the Hanuman Chalisa and reading holy scriptures like the Ramayana and Mahabharata. Lord Hanuman is said to be the epitome of belief, trust and devotion. On this day, devotees pray to imbibe these qualities in their lives and lead a principled life.

Lord Hanuman was born on the Anjaneri mountain. His mother Anjana was an apsara who was born on earth due to a curse. She was redeemed from this curse on giving birth to a son. The Valmiki Ramayana states that his father Kesari was the son of Brihaspati, he was the King of a place named Sumeru. Anjana performed intense prayers lasting 12 long years to Shiva to get a child. Pleased with their devotion, Shiva granted them the son they sought. Hanuman, in another interpretation, is the incarnation or reflection of Shiva himself.

Hanuman is often called the son of the deity Vayu or the Wind God; several different traditions account for the Vayu’s role in Hanuman’s birth. One story mentioned in Eknath’s Bhavartha Ramayana from the 16th century which states that when Anjana was worshiping Shiva, the King Dasharatha of Ayodhya was also performing the ritual of Putrakama yagna in order to have children. As a result, he received some sacred pudding or payasam to be shared by his three wives, leading to the births of Rama, Lakshmana, Bharata, and Shatrughna. By divine ordinance, a kite snatched a fragment of that pudding and dropped it while flying over the forest where Anjana was engaged in worship. Vayu, the Hindu deity of the wind, delivered the falling pudding to the outstretched hands of Anjana, who consumed it. Hanuman was born to her as a result. Another tradition says that Anjana and her husband Kesari prayed Shiva for a child. By Shiva’s direction, Vayu transferred his male energy to Anjana’s womb. Accordingly, Hanuman is identified as the son of the Vayu

Another story of Hanuman’s origins is derived from the Vishnu Purana and Naradeya Purana. Narada, infatuated with a princess, went to his lord Vishnu, to make him look like Vishnu, so that the princess would garland him at swayamvara or the husband-choosing ceremony. He asked for ‘Hari Mukh’ (Hari is another name of Vishnu, and mukh means face). Vishnu instead bestowed him with the face of a vanara. Unaware of this, Narada went to the princess, who burst into laughter at the sight of his ape-like face before all the king’s court. Narada, unable to bear the humiliation, cursed Vishnu, that Vishnu would one day be dependent upon a vanara. Vishnu replied that what he had done was for Narada’s own good, as he would have undermined his own powers if he were to enter matrimony. Vishnu also noted that Hari has the dual Sanskrit meaning of vanara. Upon hearing this, Narada repented for cursing Vishnu. But Vishnu told him not to repent as the curse would act as a boon, for it would lead to the birth of Hanuman, an avatar of Shiva, without whose help Rama (Vishnu’s avatar) could not kill Ravana.

Lord Hanuman is best known for his role in the epic poem and sacred text the Ramayana, which tells the story of the divine Prince Rama. Rama was sent into exile unjustly by his stepmother, Kaikeyi. While in exile, Rama’s wife, Sita, is abducted by the demon Ravana. Much of the epic poem is devoted to Rama’s determined quest to rescue Sita from Ravana. Rama successfully recovers Sita and kills Ravana with the help of the vanara or his monkey army. Rama and Sita return to the kingdom of Ayodhya and usher in a golden age of humanity. Rama, the titular character of the Ramayana, is identified as an incarnation, or avatara, of the god Vishnu.

Hanuman plays a central role in the Ramayana, and his stories are nearly always tied to those of Prince Rama, also called Lord Ram. Even before Hanuman’s birth, it was predicted that he would be a devotee of Lord Ram. After he was born, Hanuman was a trouble maker who, among other feats of mischief, tried to grab the sun from the sky. In response, powerful sages cursed Hanuman and made him forget his magic powers. Hanuman became a loyal servant to Rama and a commander of Rama’s legions of monkeys. The memory of his powers was restored to Hanuman by Jambavan, the king of the bears, and as a result, Hanuman made a giant leap across the strait that lies between India and Sri Lanka, called the Palk Strait today, to steal the medicinal herbs necessary to heal the wounded in Rama’s army. When Hanuman struggled to identify the herbs, he picked up the entire mountain and brought that back to India. Before Hanuman left Sri Lanka, his tail was set on fire. Hanuman, however, used this fire to burn Sri Lanka to the ground.

Hanuman is held up as the embodiment of loyalty and devotion and these admirable traits are recognized year round at temples dedicated to Hanuman and given special attention during Hanuman Jayanti. During Hanuman Jayanti, Hindus take an early morning holy bath and either attend temples dedicated to Hanuman or perform puja at home if they have their own shrine dedicated to Hanuman. The Hanuman Chalisa is read in order to conquer evil spirits and provide mental peace to those reading and listening. People apply red powder to their foreheads in an echo of how Hanuman covered his whole body in sindoor to ensure Rama’s immortality. There is an interesting legend to why Hanuman covered his body with Sindoor. As per the legend, when Lord Hanuman found Sri Sita applying sindhūr to her forehead, He questioned her and she replied that doing so would ensure a long life for her husband, Lord Sri Rama. Lord Hanuman then proceeded to smear his entire body with sindhūr, thus ensuring Lord Sri Rama’s immortality.

Hanuman is also celebrated as a symbol of devotion, strength, magical powers and energy and also as the 11th Rudra avatara of the great god Shiva. Many devotees pray to Hanuman to be blessed with bravery, intelligence and loyalty like that which Hanuman displayed.

Hanuman is a popular god among Hindus, and his temples are often filled with monkeys who know that humans cannot harm them so long as they are on temple grounds. Hindus, however, are not the only ones who recognize Hanuman. Hanuman also appears in Buddhism, Sikhism and Jainism as well as in Indian pop culture.

Hanuman has been honored for millennia, and that fact has not changed in the modern age. Thousands still flock to his temples and wear sindoor in recognition of his devotion to Rama. Hanuman himself would likely be pleased with this. There is, after all, something perfect about the determined loyalty of Hindus to the god who was known for his faithfulness.

Here’s the divine voice of the late singer M.S. Subbalakshmi reciting the Hanuman Chalisa to end this blog post!

Festivals of India: Gudi Padwa

Posted on March 25, 2020 by memoriesandsuch

Spring is in the air and this means that various Indian communities will start celebrating their new year. The first is usually Gudi Padwa, a spring-time festival that marks the traditional new year for Marathi and Konkani Hindus. It is celebrated in and near Maharashtra and Goa on the first day of the Chaitra month to mark the beginning of the New year according to the lunisolar Hindu calendar. The word Padwa comes from the Sanskrit word Pratipada, which refers to the first day of a lunar fortnight. The festival is observed with colorful floor decorations or rangoli, a special Gudi flag which is garlanded with flowers, mango and neem leaves and topped with an upturned silver or copper vessel, street processions, dancing and festive foods.

Gudi Padwa marks end of one harvest season and beginning of a new one for farmers and so is also celebrated as a harvest festival in the region. On this day the position of the Sun is above the point of intersection of the equator, which according to the Hindu calendar marks the commencement of the Spring Season.

In India, this day which is the first day of the bright phase of the moon is called Gudi Padwa in Marathi, Ugadi in Telugu, and Yugadi in Kannada. The Sindhi community celebrates this day as Cheti Chand as the new year and observed as the emergence day of Lord Jhulelaal. Prayers are offered to Lord Jhulelaal and the festival is celebrated by making delicacies. However, this is not the universal new year for all Hindus. For some, such as those in and near Gujarat, the new year festivities coincide with the five day Diwali festival. For many others, the new year falls on Vaisakhi between 13 and 15 April, according to the solar cycle part of the Hindu lunisolar calendar, and this is by far the most popular not only among Hindus of the Indian subcontinent but also among Buddhists and Hindus in many parts of southeast Asia.

It’s really fascinating on the day of Gudi Padwa to see many Gudis arrangements in the windows and doors of Maharashtrian and Konkani households. The Gudi is a bright colorful silk scarf-like cloth tied to the top of a long bamboo pole. On the top of the pole, one or more boughs of neem leaves and mango leaves are attached along with a garland of flowers. This arrangement is capped with a silver, bronze or copper pot called handi or kalash in Marathi signifying victory or achievement. The whole arrangement is hoisted outside each household, typically to the right and is visible to everybody. Villages or neighborhoods also come together and host a community Gudi Kavad, which they carry together to the local Shiva temple. Some temples are located on the top of hills, and groups work together to help reach the kavad to the top.

There are many historical legends and beliefs associated with this festival. One of these comes from the Brahma Purana which states that Lord Brahma recreated the world after a raging deluge in which all time had stopped and all the people of the world, destroyed. On Gudi Padva, time restarted and from this day on, the era of truth and justice, known as Satyug began. Therefore, Lord Brahma is worshipped on this day and the Gudi symbolises the Brahmadhvaj.

Another popular legend about the origin of this festival revolves around the return of Lord Rama to Ayodhya along with his wife Sita and his brother Laxman from exile. The ‘Brahmadhvaj’ is hoisted in memory of the coronation of Lord Rama. The Gudi is hoisted at the entrance of the household in commemoration of the Gudi that was hoisted in Ayodhya as a victory flag. It is also believed that Lord Rama was victorious over King Bali on this day, marking this occasion.

For the people of Mahrashtra, there is an added significance to this festival. It is believed that Chhattrapati Shivaji Maharaj, celebrated leader of the Maratha clan, led the troops to victory and attained freedom for the kingdom from the dominion of the Mughals in that area. The Gudi then is a symbol of victory and prosperity.

It also symbolizes the victory of King Shalivahana and was hoisted by his people when he returned to Paithan (near current day Aurangabad).

The Gudi is believed to ward off evil, invite prosperity and good luck into the house. Many businessmen inaugurate their ventures on this day as it is considered an auspicious day.

On this day, courtyards in village houses will be swept clean and plastered with fresh cow-dung. Even in urban areas, even if they don’t do it everyday, on this day people take the time out to do some spring cleaning and women work on intricate rangoli designs on their doorsteps, the vibrant colours mirroring the burst of colour associated with spring. Everyone dresses up in new clothes and it is a time for family gatherings. Traditionally, families prepare a special dish that mixes various flavors, particularly the bitter leaves of the neem tree and sweet jaggery. Additional ingredients include sour tamarind and astringent dhane seeds. Most communities prepare something similar which is a reminder of life’s sweet and bitter experiences, as well as a belief that the neem-based mixture has health benefits.

Here’s wishing all those celebrating Gudi Padwa, Ugadi, Cheti Chand and Yugadi a very happy new year and to enjoy your celebrations and the yummy food that follows!

Festivals of India: Holi

Posted on March 9, 2020 by memoriesandsuch

Literally the most colourful of all festivals and the one I am personally not a big fan of, the festival of Holi hearlds the arrival of spring, the end of winter, the blossoming of love, and for many, a festive day to meet others, play and laugh, forget and forgive, and repair broken relationships. The festival also celebrates the beginning of a good spring harvest season. This year, the Holi festivities, which is usually celebrated for a night plus the next day, started yesterday night and today India and especially northern India will be awash in colours.

The first evening is known as Holika Dahan (burning of demon holika) or Chhoti Holi (aka small Holi) and the following day as Holi or Rangwali Holi (aka colourful Holi). This festival is an ancient Hindu religious festival which has become popular with non-Hindus as well in many parts of South Asia, as well as people of other communities outside Asia.

Holi celebrations start on the night before Holi with a Holika Dahan where people gather, perform religious rituals in front of the bonfire, and pray that their internal evil be destroyed the way Holika, the sister of the demon king Hiranyakashipu, was killed in the fire. The next morning is celebrated as Rangwali Holi – a free-for-all festival of colours, where people smear each other with colours and drench each other. Water guns and water-filled balloons are also used to play and colour each other. Anyone and everyone is fair game, friend or stranger, rich or poor, man or woman, children, and elders. The frolic and fight with colours occurs in the open streets, open parks, outside temples and buildings. Groups carry drums and other musical instruments, go from place to place, sing and dance. People visit family, friends and foes to throw coloured powders on each other, laugh and gossip, then share Holi delicacies, food and drinks. Some customary drinks include bhang (made from cannabis), which is intoxicating. In the evening, after sobering up, people dress up and visit friends and family.

There is a symbolic legend to explain why Holi is celebrated as a festival of triumph of good over evil in the honour of Hindu god Vishnu and his follower Prahlada. King Hiranyakashipu, according to a legend found in chapter 7 of Bhagavata Purana, was the king of demonic Asuras, and had earned a boon that gave him five special powers: he could be killed by neither a human being nor an animal, neither indoors nor outdoors, neither at day nor at night, neither by astra (projectile weapons) nor by any shastra (handheld weapons), and neither on land nor in water or air. Hiranyakashipu grew arrogant, thought he was God, and demanded that everyone worship only him. However, Hiranyakashipu’s own son, Prahlada, however, disagreed and was and remained devoted to Lord Vishnu. This infuriated Hiranyakashipu who subjected Prahlada to cruel punishments, none of which affected the boy or his resolve to do what he thought was right. Finally, Holika, Prahlada’s evil aunt, tricked him into sitting on a pyre with her. Holika was wearing a cloak that made her immune to injury from fire, while Prahlada was not. As the fire roared, the cloak flew from Holika and encased Prahlada, who survived while Holika burned. Vishnu, the god who appears as an avatar to restore Dharma in Hindu beliefs, took the form of Narasimha – half human and half lion (which is neither a human nor an animal), at dusk (when it was neither day nor night), took Hiranyakashyapu at a doorstep (which was neither indoors nor outdoors), placed him on his lap (which was neither land, water nor air), and then eviscerated and killed the king with his lion claws (which were neither a handheld weapon nor a launched weapon). The Holika bonfire and Holi signifies the celebration of the symbolic victory of good over evil, of Prahlada over Hiranyakashipu, and of the fire that burned Holika.

In the Braj region of India (Mathura and Agra in the current state of Uttar Pradesh), where the Lord Krishna grew up, the festival is celebrated until Rang Panchmi (which happens around 5-6 days after Holi) in commemoration of the divine love of Radha for Krishna. The festivities officially usher in spring, with Holi celebrated as a festival of love. There is a symbolic myth behind commemorating Krishna as well. As a baby, Krishna developed his characteristic dark skin colour because the she-demon Putana poisoned him with her breast milk. In his youth, Krishna despaired whether the fair-skinned Radha would like him because of his dark skin colour. His mother, tired of his desperation, asks him to approach Radha and ask her to colour his face in any colour she wanted. This she did, and Radha and Krishna became a couple. Ever since, the playful colouring of Radha and Krishna’s face has been commemorated as Holi.

The festival of Holi is celebrated at a time when people are pretty much tired of the gloomy winters and thus have a tendency to feel sleepy and lazy. It’s natural for the body to experience some sluginess due to the changes in temperature. To counteract this, people sing loudly or even speak loudly. Their movements are brisk and their music is loud. All of this helps to rejuvenate the system of the human body. Also, colours when sprayed on the body have a great impact on it. Biologists believe the liquid dye or Abeer penetrates the body and enters into the pores. It has the effect of strengthening the ions in the body and adds health and beauty to it. Of course this is only true for natural colours and not the synthetic colours used today. Another scientific reason for celebrating Holi relates to the tradition of Holika Dahan. The mutation period of winter and spring, induces the growth of bacteria in the atmosphere as well as in the body. When Holika is burnt, temperature rises very high at the bonfire. So when people perform Parikrima (the circumambulation or going around the bonfire) around the fire, the heat from the fire kills the bacteria in the body thus, cleansing it. In the south where winters are not as severe, Holi is rarely celebrated or celebrated in a different way. The day after the burning of Holika people put ash or Vibhuti on their forehead and they would mix sandalwood paste with the young leaves and flowers of the mango tree and consume it to promote good health. Some also believe that play with colours help to promote good health as colours are said to have great impact on our body and our health. Doctors believe that for a healthy body, colours too have an important place besides the other vital elements. Deficiency of a particular colour in our body causes ailment, which can be cured only after supplementing the body with that particular colour.

Traditionally Holi used to be played with colours found in nature. Traditional colours, called ‘Gulal’ are known to have medicinal properties since they were usually made of neem, kumkum, turmeric, bilva and other medicinal herbs. The flowers of the palash or flame of the forest trees provide the bright red and orange colours. Powdered fragrant red sandalwood, dried hibiscus flowers, madder tree, radish, and pomegranate are alternate sources and shades of red. Mixing lime with turmeric powder creates an alternate source of orange powder, as does boiling saffron in water. Henna and the dried leaves of gulmohur tree offer a source of green colour. In some areas, the leaves of spring crops and herbs have been used as a source of green pigment. Turmeric powder is the typical source of yellow colour. Sometimes this is mixed with gram or other flour to get the right shade. Bael fruit, amaltas, species of chrysanthemums, and species of marigold are alternate sources of yellow. Indigo plant, Indian berries, species of grapes, blue hibiscus, and jacaranda flowers are traditional sources of blue colour while beetroot is the traditional source of magenta and purple colour. Often these are directly boiled in water to prepare coloured water. Dried tea leaves offer a source of brown coloured water. Certain clays are alternate source of brown while some types of grapes, gooseberry and charcoal offer gray to black colours.

These days however, natural powders are becoming rare and chemically produced industrial dyes have been used to take their place in almost all of urban India. Due to the commercial availability of attractive pigments, slowly the natural colours are replaced by synthetic colours. These colours which more often than not contain questionable chemicals cause mild to severe symptoms of skin irritation and inflammation. Lack of control over the quality and content of these colours is a problem, as they are frequently sold by vendors who do not know their source. I remember friends coming to school, college and work in varying hues, some of which are not found anywhere in nature. Another gripe I have with the synthetic colours is the very weird smell that comes from them which really puts me off. And then let’s talk about the water bombs that contain a mixture of water and these colours which people throw from their homes, balconies and rooftops during this time period. I remember growing up, I used to hate getting out of the house during this time and in Mumbai, this period would typically be examination time, which meant actually getting out more to tuition classes and study sessions. We used to rarely walk alone, preferring to go out in groups so we can look all around us, especially when walking by medium to high rise buildings and preferring to walk in the middle of the road, even if that was not the safest place to walk. So you can see why in the beginning of this post, I said this is not a festival I particularly enjoy.

Happy Holi folks!

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Memories of a very ordinary life

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