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| Janai Purnima |
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Janai Purnima is the festival
of Sacred Thread.On this day every
Hindu ties a sacred thread on
the wrist.It is also called Rakshya
Bandhan.On this day, there is
a big Mela (fair) at Khumbeshwor,
Lalitpur.It is again on a full
moon night. . On this day Hindu
men, especially the Brahmans and
Chettris perform their annual
change of Janai, a yellow cotton
string worn across the chest or
tied around the wrist of the right
hand.
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Newars of Kathmandu valley call it
Gunhi Punhi, the day when a soup of
different beans, known as Kwati is
prepared as the special menu of the
day, signifying the coming of winter
season. |
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'unclean'.
But according to Hindu rules the
cord must be changed without fail
by a Brahman on this day, Janai
meaning sacred thread, and purni
meaning Purnima or the full moon,
thus pointing to the change of the
thread on the auspicious full moon
day. On Janai Purnima, there is
a big mela (fair) at Kumbeshwor
in Lalitpur. Devotees come here
to worship Lord Mahadev and to tie
a knot around their wrists. On the
preceding day the wearer makes himself
'clean' by shaving, cutting the
hair and bathing. He undergoes a
partial fast, taking only one meal
of foods considered to be 'clean'
- no meat, onions or garlic. The
next morning the family priest comes
to the house. The entire family
gathers around him as he reads from
a holy book, performs a ceremony,
which sanctifies the new thread,
and places it about the recipient's
neck across the chest. In payment
the priest is given foodstuffs and
some money.
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| Raksha
Bandhan |
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This
is also the day when male, females,
and children regardless of station
and caste tie a sacred yellow thread
around their wrist. The males tie
the thread around their right and
the women tie it on their left.
Raksha means 'protection' and Bandhan
means a bond. The wearer believes
that it will bring him good luck.
It is believed that this thread
should only be removed on Laxmi
Puja, |
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falls three months later, and tied
to the tail of a cow. Thus when death
comes to the wearer the cow will help
him to cross the river Bhaitarna,
by allowing the dead to cling to her
tail. |
It
seems that King Bali had taken the
vow of Charity, according to which
he would grant every wish made to
him. His deep devotion and boundless
benevolence won him a place higher
than even Lord Indra, the King of
of Heaven did. Seeing their realms
under a mere "Danava"(demon),
for Bali was the King of the Danavas,
the Gods appealed to Lord Vishnu,
who came to their assistance disguised
as a dwarf. Knowing that Bali had
taken the Vow of Charity; the dwarf
begged him for as much land as he
could cover in three strides. The
moment Bali agreed, the dwarfed
Vishnu swelled to the size of a
tremendous giant and in two mighty
strides stepped across Heaven and
Earth. When he demanded were he
might take the promised third step,
Bali who had already recognized
Vishnu placed the giant's foot a
top his own head and was pushed
far into the bowels of the earth.
Thus Vishnu restored the Three Worlds
to the rightful ruling Gods, and
repaid Bali for his last act of
earthly charity, by making him the
King of the Underworld, where he
is believed to be still ruling.
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| Article
by Vani Shah |
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