Bheemana Amavasya is south Indian festival which mostly celebrated in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. Bheemana Amavasya comes on new moon day means on Amavasya of Hindu month of Ashadha. On this day, women worship to Lord Shiva and Parvathi for the welfare of all the male members of the family. Bheemana Amavasya 2010 Vrata will celebrate on 9th and 10th August.
Bheemana Amavasya is also called Jyothirbheemeshwara Vrata and Pathi Sanjeevini Vratha. In the Skaanda Purana describes about Bheemana Amavasya. Skanda Purana is one of the major eighteen Puranas. It is a Hindu religious text which is the largest Purana. The Purana is based on the life and deed of a son of Shiva and Parvati, Kartikeya. It is also known as Skanda or Muruga.
Hindus believe that during this period, their offerings are reached to their late forefathers and in reply forefathers bless to them. According to other believes, on this day Shiva Lord of demolition in Hindu mythology is taken over by parvathi devotion towards him and accepts her as his wife. Parvati is known as the supreme Divine Mother or Lordess and all other goddesses are her manifestations or incarnation.
Hindu tradition esteems many different virtues to symbolize Parvati such as fertility, marital felicity, devotion to the spouse, asceticism, and power. On this day, women offers food and other things to Lord Shiva and Parvati and an unmarried would pray for a good virtuous husband and married would pray for their husband's long life, success and happiness.
Bheemana Amavasya vrata related legend:
Saurashtra’s King and Queen of had a son who died an early death. So the King and Queen were sad, as they had dreamed of getting their son married in a grand manner. Then King decided to get his son married although he was dead and announced that a large amount of gold and cash would be given to the guardians of the girl who gets married with his died son. A poor Brahmin came forward to marry his daughter to the dead body. Immediately, the wedding was performed on the dark and cloudy day of Amavasya / no moon day. After the finishing the celebration, the dead body was taken to the banks of river Bhageerathi to perform the last rites. The people were preparing the pyre, thunder and lightening strikes along with heavy rains. The people feared and ran back to their homes, departing the dead body and the innocent girl sobbed next to the dead body.
The girl remembered that it was the day of Jyothirbheemeshwari vrata, which her mother made her perform without fail every year. She took bath in the river and molded two lamps and rolled out fiber of a plant to form the wick for the lamps. She poured water into the lamps and also remembered bandara and instead of the wheat / rice steamed cakes, she made mud balls in place of bandara.
All activities of her, Lord Shiva and Parvathi were watching. The girl lighted the lamps with water and performed the pooja using wild flowers and leaves. When she finished her pooja, Lord Shiva and Parvathi appeared before her. Lord Shiva broke the mud balls / bandara and asked her for a boon. She requested them to bring her husband back to life, and then boon was granted. On next day, when the people saw prince alive, they surprised and happy.
On Bheemana Amavasya, the shrine is decorated with Rangoli and a pedestal on which rice is spread. Then, place two lamps with ghee / clarified butter on the rice. The lamps symbolize Lord Shiva and Parvathi. Keep an idol of Ganapathi or Shiva / Ishwara or Mangala Gowri in between the lamps.
A turmeric root ties to the right lamp. Smear turmeric paste to hasi dhara / thread and tie 9 knots and one flower. Prepare same threads for every girl / woman who performs the pooja and keep it on the right side of the lamps on a betel leaf. Take 9 betel leaves, 9 betel nuts along with coconut and fruits as offering.
Before of the pooja, start light the lamps. The lamps and idol are worshipped with 9 string Gejjevastra / cotton strings, Ganda / Sandal Paste, leaves and flowers. Bandara / stuffed steamed cakes, Kuchchida Kadabu, Coconut and Banana are offered to god. Then, perform an aarathi and pray the lord for prosperity and good health.
On the right wrist of the girls and women, the thread is tied by other women or the priest. Married women perform this vrata for nine years after marriage and in the ninth year a pair of lamps is given away to her brother or a Brahmin.
On this day there is a ritual with brothers known as “Bhandara Hodiyuvudhu / Breaking of stuffed steamed cakes”. To prepare Bandara, first mix wheat / rice flour with water for making a dough and then roll out 2″ diameter round circles. Keep some soaked gram inside it along with some coins and close with another rolled dough and seal. Shape two spades using the dough. Steam them for 5 minutes. This is not for eating.
Then, the brothers sit on a mane / flat wooden slab inside the hochilu / bottom doorsill, apply tilak / vermilion mark on their foreheads and perform an aarathi.
Bandara keeps on either side of the hochilu or bottom doorsill on betel leaves, betel nut, coins. Turmeric powder and kumkum / vermilion powder apply to hochilu. The brothers are made to stand one at a time with legs on either side of the hochilu and he has to break the Bandara with his elbows and as he bends to break them the sisters should bang the brother’s back with their elbows. That creates lot of fun with laughter and guffaws. The bandara is stuffed with soaked Bengal gram or with coins.
On this day, Idli and Payasa along with Kuchchida Kadabu are made, but deep fried or shallow fried foods are not made.
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