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The Vaishnodevi Experience 2023

My first trip to Vaishnodevi was unimpressive. Climbing was hard, and it only served to highlight how badly out of shape I was, while my in-laws managed to cope so much better. Further, I hadn’t quite realized that the cave experience wouldn’t be the same as I had imagined, since the original cave was only opened at certain times a year, and that we only entered a newly created tunnel, one far easier to access, and hence more manageable with the crowds that thronged the mountain shrine. The resulting experience at the shrine, for barely a fraction of a second, hardly compared to what I had expected / imagined / heard about. So, for me, Vaishnodevi was like any other temple, nothing to write home about, something that was reflected (though not explicitly mentioned) in the blog post I wrote then.
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Ganesh Chaturthi at mom's place

Since we are not performing the Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations at home this year, I am sharing images from the celebrations at my mom's place.. All photos have been clicked by my sister, Kanthi. 

Celebrations begin with prayers to Gauri, a day before Ganpati arrives. 



It is believed that Gauri, or Parvati, has a fight with Lord Shiva and comes to her maternal home on earth. Shiva immediately regrets the fight, and sends Ganesha to bring her back. They stay on earth for a few more days, and return to heaven together. The number of days they stay depends on various factors, such as family traditions and convenience!



An image of Gauri is made with sand wrapped up tight in a cloth, eyes, ears, nose and mouth pained on the cloth, and decorated to resemble the goddess. These days, a brass figure of the goddess has replaced the sand, so that it can be re-used. 


Since Gauri is beleived to be the daughter of the house, she is offered lots of stuff.. from flowers and fruits to things for her to take back to her home. After the puja, all those articles are given to a married daughter, in this case, me. 

Ganesha arrives the next day...


Usually, only one idol of the Lord is placed, but ours is a home filled with Ganesha idols, so almost every single one finds itself on the podium! The big brass idol has replaced the clay one, for eco-friendly reasons, while the smaller one is a very special one. It shows the Ganesha in our favourite temple in Delhi. The third and smallest one is the one I made this year... with a mixture of clay, sandalwood powder, haldi (turmeric), kumkum, vibhuthi (ash) and rosewater. 


Here are the offerings....


And the whole range of edible offerings which are for the Lord, but enjoyed by the devotees!!



And a view of the whole arrangement..


This year, both, Gauri and Ganesha had a special and surprise offering too... the Brahma Kamal plant in the house bloomed for the first time!!!


A special celebration indeed!!!

I had originally planned to attend the puja at my mom's place to compensate for not doing the puja myself, but as it turned out, I enjoyed the festival morning on the beach!!! Thanks to my sister, Kanthi for the virtual delight!!

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Comments

  1. Mina MenonSeptember 22, 2012 at 10:13 PM

    reached here from Mridulas space! The post has this nice homely touch abt it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarSeptember 22, 2012 at 10:34 PM

      Thanks Meena!!! Been seeing you regularly on Mridula's blog. Hope to see u here more often too :D

      Delete
    2. ZephyrSeptember 23, 2012 at 10:01 AM

      The Brahma kamal is indeed a rare offering for the Lord. You have sculpted a beautiful image of Ganesha. Lovely pics, Anu.

      Delete
    3. Anuradha ShankarSeptember 23, 2012 at 10:42 AM

      Thanks so much, Zephyr!!!!

      Delete

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