When And How | Discover temple timings and the best visiting hours for a peaceful experience.

  Indian festivals are very colorful and vibrant, none more so than Navratri, when people worship the Divine Mother. The festival is celebrated by undertaking a fast or spiritual penance, performing Poojas and Homas, preparing delicious food, singing, dancing, and wearing colorful dresses on each of the 9 days. Navratri honors the nine different aspects of the Supreme Goddess, also called Navadurga.   An intriguing aspect of Navratri is the designated color for each day. Each color has a unique significance and spiritual meaning. Devotees believe that wearing the color of the day can boost the festive spirit and help them connect with the divine energy of the Goddess being honoured on that day.    Let us explore the meaning behind these colors:   First day (First Navratri) – Yellow Goddess Shailaputri, meaning "daughter of the mountains," is worshipped on the first day of Navratri. She is the first incarnation of Goddess Durga and embodies purity and ...

  In some parts of India, an angry woman is often described as ‘Bhadrakali’. But such women do not take it as an insult and instead, consider it as a tribute. For Bhadrakali is the name of a revered Hindu goddess, who is also one of the 8 forms of Goddess Kali and a fierce form of Goddess Shakti, the Divine Mother. She is regarded as another form of Parvati, the consort of Lord Shiva. Some also regard her as the consort of Shiva in the form of Bhairava or Mahakal. The Goddess of war and symbol of power and fierceness, Bhadrakali is mainly worshipped by followers of Shaktism, Shaivism and Tantrism. However, she also has Vaishnava devotees to whom she is a form of Yogamaya. There are many references to her in the ancient Scriptures, notably the Puranas. She is said to have the power to change people’s destiny.   Her worship is connected to the Tantrik traditions related to the Matrikas and the Dasa Mahavidyas. In Tantrism, Shiva represents consciousness and Kali represents energ...

  Karma is like a shadow that accompanies us wherever we go. We cannot escape it or its consequences. Even after death, it pursues us into our next birth. But, on the first full Moon of the Vedic New Year, you get a chance to purge your karmic records and reset your life. It is the day of Chitra Pournami, the full Moon in the Tamil month of Chithirai, which is also the birthday of Lord Chitragupta, the celestial record-keeper of Lord Yama, the God of death. He keeps account of all our actions in the Akashic records, a heavenly database. These records are maintained in a book called Agrasandhani. Once a person dies and their soul reaches Yamaloka, Chitragupta reads out their deeds on earth. This helps Yama to decide if the person’s soul will go to Svarga (heaven) or Naraka (hell). People believe that invoking the blessings of Chitragupta and helping the needy on this day can eliminate their bad karma.   Chithra Pournami is a very auspicious and important Hindu festival in South...