Gowri Pooje
Venue : Prayer room of the house.
I just thought of recording Arya Vysya wedding procedures which will be usefull to me and others who are from this community.This pooje happens before kanyadaan.Preparration is given below,
Pour sugar and water in a big new tumbler. Dip 5 betel leaves in the water like the petals of a flower. The tip of the leaf faces you in this arrangement. This is called kalasa. Make gowri with turmeric and place it in front of this Kalasa. Worship gowri.
Place 5 turmeric cloves with corals and pearls in the oralu or grinder. Every married lady (relatives) at home will pund the turmeric with the pounding stick for 3 times. In the end, the pounding stick is placed in a vesseld having little milk in it. These pounding sticks are not to be kept inside the grinder or on the flour anytime during this process which means the process should be contineous.
Most of the time these turmeric cloves don't break, so they are taken outside and powdered. This turmeric powder is mixed with store bought turmeric powder. Make a paste. This paste is applied to the brides cheeks, hands and legs. Arathi is given to the bride.
Mix uddinabele hittu (Uriddal flour) with water and divide it into 5 batches. Color each batch. A new cloth is placed in front of the gowri and sandige is placed on the cloth. 5 married ladies will place these sandige. One color per lady.
All these 5 ladies (inlcudes brides mother) will sit together and stitch the taali bottu. They just link the beads to the turmeric clad thread. This thread is kept in front of the godess gowri and prayed by everyone. Arathi is given to the godess. Sing as many devotional songs you know during the whole procedure. Music creates a feel good atmosphere. I am sharing few pictures
(G.YUKTHA LAKSHMI)
The bride worships the Goddess Gauri by performing Gauri Pooja while the groom is performing ganesh pooja on the main Mandap. During the performance of this pooja or worship, the bride typically sits in a hand woven basket lined with a sprinkle of unprocessed rice grains while performing this ritual. Given the community’s agrarian heritage, rice-grains (dhānyam) are a symbol of a good harvest, and thus, prosperity. The Goddess Gauri is revered as a manifestation of Shakti (the most powerful mother of the universe) the power and energy by which the world is created, preserved and destroyed. She symbolizes motherhood, fertility and the victory of good over evil. Hindus consider Gauri and her consort Lord Shiva as the ideal couple in the Vedic culture. They are often worshipped as a single entity, denoting the perfect emotional, mental and physical union between them. By invoking the Goddess blessings, the bride seeks similar strength and divine love in her own life for a long and happy married life with her husband.(P.Revathy)
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