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Spiritual Significance of Bhogi Pandigai
"bho:gam" means 'enjoying divine joy'. A day giving that eternal joy, is
named after "bho:gi". Go:da performed dhanurma:sa for 30 days. Having pleased,
Lord Ranganattha sent all His subjects and invited Go:da de:vi, to Srirangam.
Amidst all the devotees etc., marriage celebration was done. Goda went into the
sanctum and joined Lord Ranganattha, experiencing His divine qualities, she was
blessed with that "bho:gam". Hence that day became "bho:gi".
14 th January 2015 Wednesday is Bhogi Pandigai is celebrated in Tamil Nadu
Scholars have often compared Bhogi (another name for Indira) to the Indra Vizha celebrated by the Chola kings at Kaveripattinam, also known as Poompuhar.
On this day spring cleaning of the house takes place. As in reality this is more a harvest festival one can experience the true spirit of this festival only in small towns and more so in villages of south India where people still live in mud huts with thatched roofs. Most part of the huts are redone. They redbuild the mud portions too. Water is used to soften the mud, and then dug out and then rebuilt. After rebuilding, it, a mixture of cow dung and water is spread evenly over the new mud walls, fresh cowdung has sanitizing properties. This paste is also
spread on the floor of the hut, on which people sleep at night.The thatched roof is also replaced. On the Bhogi Pongal day people, decorate their homes with kolam (a decoration laid on the floor; a powder of plain white and coloured rice flour is used to draw the kolam).People buy new vessels /utensils and household stuff and replace them with what they discard after being used for a year.
People used (and some still do) clay pots and pans which they replace every year. A major activity on the day is the burning of things that are of no use.People collect all the unwanted stuff and discard them. Whatever can be burnt will be put in the bonfire that people light in the evenings. In the villages very household has its own bonfire in front of their hut/home. As can be inferred the most important activity on Bhogi Pongal is to clean and this is carried out in towns and cities too- the house, office, surroundings, courtyard and other places get cleaned. All the broken and unwanted things are removed. The probable reason for this huge cleaning exercise is to bring new energy into life. A sort of cleansing ceremony.
In big cities this has become more symbolic and huge bonfires are lit in open spaces where the entire community partake in singing and dancing around the fire. But nowadays there are a lot of restrictions from environment protection groups on this Bhogi bonfire as it causes pollution due to the burning of plastic and rubber.
The Bhogi festival according to some is also a commemoration of the lifting of mount Govardhan by lord Krishna when he was still very young. According to the Vishnu-Purana the people of Gokul used to celebrate a festival in honour of lord Indra and worshiped him at the end of every monsoon. Even as a child, lord Krishna decided to teach a lesson to lord Indra who became arrogant after becoming the king of all deities. One particular year the young Krishna asked all the cowherds to stop worshiping Indira.This angered lord Indra and in a fit of anger sent a deluge to submerge Gokul. People were scared and realised that the downpour was due to their neglect of Indra. But Krishna assured them that no harm would take place. He lifted mount Govardhan with his little finger and sheltered men and beasts from the rain. This gave him the epithet Govardhandhari. Later, lord Indra realized his mistake and divine power of Krishna and accepted the supremacy of Krishna.
There is no special puja or prayer performed on this day apart from the routine daily poojas and prayers.
Farmers however do have some rituals like consecrating their tools and doing harvest of paddy and sugarcane.
Sweet Poli recipe
Boli /Sugar poli/ Poli: Sweet Lentil Flatbread Thiruvanthapuram Style - Zesty South Indian Kitchen
Regarding bhogi festival - The Sri Vaishnava Forum - IndiaDivine.org
2015 Bhogi, Bhogi Pandigai Date for Lansing, Michigan, United States
Bhogi Pandigai Menu
Pongal / Bogi special Lunch Menu | Subbus Kitchen
"bho:gam" means 'enjoying divine joy'. A day giving that eternal joy, is
named after "bho:gi". Go:da performed dhanurma:sa for 30 days. Having pleased,
Lord Ranganattha sent all His subjects and invited Go:da de:vi, to Srirangam.
Amidst all the devotees etc., marriage celebration was done. Goda went into the
sanctum and joined Lord Ranganattha, experiencing His divine qualities, she was
blessed with that "bho:gam". Hence that day became "bho:gi".
14 th January 2015 Wednesday is Bhogi Pandigai is celebrated in Tamil Nadu
Scholars have often compared Bhogi (another name for Indira) to the Indra Vizha celebrated by the Chola kings at Kaveripattinam, also known as Poompuhar.
On this day spring cleaning of the house takes place. As in reality this is more a harvest festival one can experience the true spirit of this festival only in small towns and more so in villages of south India where people still live in mud huts with thatched roofs. Most part of the huts are redone. They redbuild the mud portions too. Water is used to soften the mud, and then dug out and then rebuilt. After rebuilding, it, a mixture of cow dung and water is spread evenly over the new mud walls, fresh cowdung has sanitizing properties. This paste is also
spread on the floor of the hut, on which people sleep at night.The thatched roof is also replaced. On the Bhogi Pongal day people, decorate their homes with kolam (a decoration laid on the floor; a powder of plain white and coloured rice flour is used to draw the kolam).People buy new vessels /utensils and household stuff and replace them with what they discard after being used for a year.
People used (and some still do) clay pots and pans which they replace every year. A major activity on the day is the burning of things that are of no use.People collect all the unwanted stuff and discard them. Whatever can be burnt will be put in the bonfire that people light in the evenings. In the villages very household has its own bonfire in front of their hut/home. As can be inferred the most important activity on Bhogi Pongal is to clean and this is carried out in towns and cities too- the house, office, surroundings, courtyard and other places get cleaned. All the broken and unwanted things are removed. The probable reason for this huge cleaning exercise is to bring new energy into life. A sort of cleansing ceremony.
In big cities this has become more symbolic and huge bonfires are lit in open spaces where the entire community partake in singing and dancing around the fire. But nowadays there are a lot of restrictions from environment protection groups on this Bhogi bonfire as it causes pollution due to the burning of plastic and rubber.
The Bhogi festival according to some is also a commemoration of the lifting of mount Govardhan by lord Krishna when he was still very young. According to the Vishnu-Purana the people of Gokul used to celebrate a festival in honour of lord Indra and worshiped him at the end of every monsoon. Even as a child, lord Krishna decided to teach a lesson to lord Indra who became arrogant after becoming the king of all deities. One particular year the young Krishna asked all the cowherds to stop worshiping Indira.This angered lord Indra and in a fit of anger sent a deluge to submerge Gokul. People were scared and realised that the downpour was due to their neglect of Indra. But Krishna assured them that no harm would take place. He lifted mount Govardhan with his little finger and sheltered men and beasts from the rain. This gave him the epithet Govardhandhari. Later, lord Indra realized his mistake and divine power of Krishna and accepted the supremacy of Krishna.
There is no special puja or prayer performed on this day apart from the routine daily poojas and prayers.
Farmers however do have some rituals like consecrating their tools and doing harvest of paddy and sugarcane.
Sweet Poli recipe
Boli /Sugar poli/ Poli: Sweet Lentil Flatbread Thiruvanthapuram Style - Zesty South Indian Kitchen
Regarding bhogi festival - The Sri Vaishnava Forum - IndiaDivine.org
2015 Bhogi, Bhogi Pandigai Date for Lansing, Michigan, United States
Bhogi Pandigai Menu
Pongal / Bogi special Lunch Menu | Subbus Kitchen
