Akshay Tritiya, Hindu Festival

 

Day - Akshay Tritiya / Akha  Teej

Date as per Gregorian Calendar - April or May 

Month -  वैशाख मास, शुक्ल पक्ष, तृतीय तिथि

Hindu month of Vaishakh, third lunar day of the bright fortnight.

Akshay Tritiya is one of the holiest days for the Hindu and Jain communities. Prayers to Lord Vishnu,  fasts, donating to the poor and needy, start of new ventures, new beginnings like marriages, house warmings, buying of precious metals like gold and silver ornaments and jewellery by women and praying for the wellbeing of their life partner by women are some of the traditions followed across the regions of our country. This day is believed to bring wealth, prosperity and good luck for the devotee. 

Prasad and sweets are offered to the Gods and their blessings sought. Many auspicious beginnings are arranged so as to fall on this day. Hindus celebrate the day with faith, belief, joy and happiness. 

Some of the major happenings related to Hindu religion have had their beginnings on this day. Here is a list of the same. 

1. On this auspicious day,Lord Parshuram, the sixth avatar of Lord Vishnu took birth and the Treta Yug began.

2. During the first year of the Pandavas, Lord Krishna gave Draupadi the blessing that the Akshaya Patra would be inexhaustible so that they never ran out of food for themselves and for others.

3. Chandan Yatra begins in the honorarium of Sripad Madhavendra Puri. 

4. Badrinath Temple opens up from the day of Akshay Tritiya.

5. Vyas Dev Maharishi began to recite Mahabharata to Lord Hamesha from this day of Akshay Tritiya

6. River Ganga descended on the Earth on this day.

7. The Yamunotri Temple and Gangotri Temple are closed during the harsh Himalayan winter months and re - opened on the occasion of Akshaya Tritiya during the Chota Char Dham pilgrimage, of the The temples are opened on Abhijit Muhurat of Akshaya Tritiya.

8. Kuber was appointed as the Lord of wealth on this day. 

9. Childhood friend of Lord Krishna, Sudama visited him after years and was granted the boon of unlimited wealth due to his innocent friendship and love for the Lord. 

10. Lord Jagannath Ratha Yatra Wooden Cart preparation and festivities begin on the day of Akshay Tritiya in Puri.

11. During the second year of the exile of the Pandavas in Kamyavan, their cousin Duryodhan so planned that Durvasa Muni & his 10,000 disciples should visit them during meal time. But on the insistence of Draupadi, Lord Krishna came to help her and ate a small piece of vegetable stuck on the Akshay Patra that had been blessed by the Sun God. This made the Sage and his disciples feel bloated to the point that they ran away to avoid being fed by the Pandavas.

    
    
     

12.  In the States of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, the festival is associated with prosperity, and women purchase gold ornaments and jewellery.

13.  Simhachalam temple observes special festive rituals on this day. The main deity of the temple is covered in sandalwood paste for the rest of the year, and on this day the layers are removed to show the underlying statue. Nija Roopa Darsanam happens on this day.

Images - www.patrika.com and wikipedia

 

Bikaner Kite Festival On Akshay Tritiya

 

Day - Akshay Tritiya

Date as per Gregorian Calendar - April or May 

Month -  वैशाख मास, शुक्ल पक्ष, तृतीय तिथि

Hindu month of Vaishakh, third lunar day of the bright fortnight.

Occasion - Formation day of the city of Bikaner

Started By - Rao Bikaji by flying round moon ( chanda ) kites

Special Meal - Khichra, Vadi ki Sabji, along with cooling drinks like Thandai and Imlani

The city of Bikaner in the state of Rajasthan celebrates Akshay Tritiya as its foundation day. Accordingly, on this day, Rao Bikaji had  celebrated by flying circular kites, representative of the Moon, and ever since this day has come to be celebrated by flying thousands of Kites, of all colours, sizes, shapes by the citizens of this colourful and historical city.

This is not just a festival for the citizens but an inseparable part of their life, culture and existence. The exuberance, festivities, decorations of the historic places on the city by lights, such as The Maharaja Ganga Singh Monument is a sight to behold once the evening sets in.

Meanwhile, right from many days before the festival,  buying of kites, Charkhi, Manjha ( Thread glued with ground glass ) begins in earnest. Women folk get busy making sweets,savouries and special meals on this day. All over the city, roofs and terraces are filled with families flying kites high in the sky with the women and children playing the supporting roles of holding the Charkhi for the men. The colorful clothes of the women, glasses to shade from the intense heat of the sun, and shouts of  Boi katya fill the landscape. The festivities and excitement lasts all day long with kites - cutting fights and contests. Local kite flying clubs also arrange contests and get - together. Nowadays, kite lovers and fliers from out of the country also come over to participate in the competitions.

The sky is filled with thousands of colourful  kites flying high in the sky and swaying with the gentle breeze. People get innovative in the shape of the kites with some going as far as making a train of 10 kites to fly together like a chain. Traditional kites are still round like the moon with many having special social messages written on them.The joy and happiness is palpable across all strata of the society.

Come evening, people wind up by going for a drive around the city to look at the beautiful buildings, clubs, palaces, monuments lit up. Nowadays, paper lanterns are also lit that float in the night sky adding to the beauty of the illuminated skyline. Snacks and eateries are available in plenty. Families and friends have a gala time enjoying the day together. 

As it is, the day of Akshay Tritya is one of the holiest festivals  in the Hindu community. On top of that it is even more special and significant for the citizens of this historic and tradition bound city of Bikaner as it doubles up their celebration on account of it being the Birthday of their city. The festivities, joy and happiness felt all around is something to be experienced to be truly understood.

Images - flickr and Youtube account of Rakesh Sharma

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