Kolam by Sudha Balaji

Abhirami Amman temple story ( stori es ) This temple  is associated with "Amritha " the Nectar for which the Devas and Asuras fought.  The sannidhi of Kalla Varana Pillaiyur ( Lord Ganesh ) who took the Amrita Kalasam is in this temple and hence associated with this legend. The blessings received by Sage Markendaya from Lord Shiva who saved him  is also at this place according to mythology. Few centuries ago Goddess Abhirami blessed Abhirami Bhattar . Abhirami Bhattar on Thai Amavasai ( Amavasaya after Makara Sankranti )  He was in a trance and told the King, Sarfoji of Thanjavur ( he was a Maratta King ) that it was a full moon day. It was actually a new moon.  Pleased with Bhattars prayers that is sang in the form of Abhirami Andhadi ,  Goddess threw Her huge ear rings called Thatanka in the sky and the brilliance made it appear like a full moon ! So overall it is a very Punya Kshethram and we have to visit . Thirukadaiyur temple timings Since we went...

There are many tour packages that are available for pilgrimages to various places by flight , by train and by bus.  For Shirdi there are packages operated by IRCTC.  Though we tried our best the dates did not match so we opted for a private tour package operator. All of them charge between Rs.9500 and Rs.10500 approximately depending upon the flight charges for economy class flights that are slightly variable. Of course we can have our own custom packages but it is always nice to travel with families that are strangers some of who become our friends during the pilgrimage. The packages are usually for Wednesday and Thursday or Saturday and Sunday.  Thursday is very important and holy for Shirdi and Saturday, Sunday are weekends.  So there will be heavy rush . If we want to avoid the crowd we can opt for custom packages on other week days. To add to the week end factor we went on the 1st of January so we can imagine the crowd that would have been present, lakh...

Vatha kuzhambu powder preparation The ingredients required and measurements are as follows Dhania or coriander 3 cups , urad dhal 2 cups ,  gram dhal 2 cups , 1 1/2 cups toor dhal One cup jeera or cumin seeds , one cup milagu or pepper  One tea spoon fenugreek seeds , little rice and 10-15 byadgi chillies All except chillies are to be dry roasted separately because the roasting time is different for each For chillies add a little  oil and roast so that the oil takes care of the hot vapours emanating  Or dhania and urad dhal are roasted separately Then gram dhal and  toor dhal  are roasted  Then cumin seeds , pepper , rice and fenugreek are roasted Finally the chillies are roasted. Allow them  to cool in air Dry grind in a mixer and store in an air tight container. It can also be used as sambar powder Vatha kulambu podi recipe through images Detailed description is given above for vatha kuzhambu podi recipe Now we know how to make v...

Sri Devanatha swamy temple timings , Thiruvaheendipuram The board below shows that Devanatha swamy temple is open between  6am  and 12 noon in the morning 4pm and 8.30 pm in the evening The temple is near Cuddalore , 28.5 kilometre from Puducherry bus stand.  and is a 50 minute to one hour drive. The Lord is considered to be the elder brother of Lord Venkateswara of Thirumala S ri Lakshmi Hyagreeva Sannidhi Oushadagiri The sannidhi is on a small hill opposite to the temple entrance.  It is believed that when Lord Hanuman flew with the Sanjeevi Parvatha a part of it fell here and hence the name Oushada giri.   So a visit to the sannidhi cures diseases.  Since Hyagreeva is the Lord for education also this shrine of Laxmi Hyagreeva is popular with school going children and their parents placing pens, pencils etc before examinations and taking the blessings of the Lord. This shrine is open between 7.30 am and 12.00 noon in the morning ...

   Aishwarya patra rangoli or muggu for Tulsi Vivah decoration Tulsi Plant is considered to be very auspicious , hence only Pooja room muggulu are drawn before the kota.  Drawn in the Puja room and for Tulsi kota it is an auspicious kolam.  It is not drawn at the entrance. The dot pattern is 7 dots at the centre, 8 dots on either side.  Next we have one row of 7 dots on either side , 6 dots one row each on either side and finally three dots on either side. Lakshmi Hrudaya rangoli also for Navaratri Friday decoration I have added an image with different colours to show how the dots are connected   Kubera rangoli also for Dasara or Varamahalakshmi Pooja  Both have similar dot patterns.  Start with a dot at the centre.  Then eight arms each with five dots in eight directions. Hridaya kamal rangoli is drawn connecting the dots in the order 1,4,2,5,3,1 Kubera rangoli is drawn using the following procedure.  Place the dot grid....

Flower decoration for Lakshmi Pooja | Flower decoration for Pooja room Sampangi-flower-garland ( Sampangi is Tamil for tuberose not to be confused with shenbagam ) We need sampangi ( sugantha roja also in Tamil ) , tuberose in English and a  ball of thread.  Since the flower is long and slender we cannot tie on opposite sides and so we can tie only on one side. So the bottom of the flowers are tied together.   It is rajni gandha in Hindi. These are beautiful , fragrant flowers with a long funnel like structure.  This method gives a plait like appearance to the knots. This post may give answers to 1) how to make a flower garland for God 2) How to make your own  flower garland  First tie two knots for the first flower Place the next flower, string goes below the second flower to the left Tie both flowers together Next tie the 2nd and 3rd flowers together A close up view of how the knot is made How to make a flower ga...

 We can use different techniques to get beautiful cotton haara or garlands for festivals ( Varamahalakshmi Habba or Ganesh Chaturthi ).  The video is one of them.  Use cotton that is sold in Puja stores .  Make the cotton workable as shown in the video and depending upon the thickness we can use a single strand or split into two.  I have split the cotton into two .   Using milk or water make the traditional cotton hara or gejje vastra as it also called.  Fold it into two.  The rest is easy.  At the narrow portions stick decorative trinkets using fabric glue.  A different type of decorative trinket is stuck in the remaining gaps.  We need thread or string for tying the garland  to the idol of God or Goddess or kalash.  Decorative threads are available in craft shops and that thread can be fastened to the haara as shown in the thumb nail in the video 👉 cotton garland     Cotton crafts are among the m...