Guide to Pujas, Festivals and Homas

[display_search_form]

Poolangi Seva Tirumala – Timings, Cost, Booking

July 29, 2019, Sasidhar Darla 3 Comments Filed Under: Pujas, Tirumala

Here is everything you want to know about Poolangi Seva of Lord Venkateswara in Tirumala.

What is Poolangi Seva?

The Tiruppavada seva and Poolangi Seva are offered at Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam every Thursday.

Tiruppavada Seva

Every Thursday, after the morning pooja, the Mula Virat is divested of all ornaments, flowers, etc. The deity will be draped only in Dhoti and Uttareeyam. The Thirunamam Kaappu and Kasturi on the forehead of the main deity are also reduced in size. This results in the unique posture of the Lord where one can witness the peculiar Netra Darshan (where the divine eyes of the Lord can be seen) of the main deity.

Poolangi Seva

After the Tiruppavada Seva, the temple observes some rituals like suddhi (cleaning of the temple), etc., and the Moola Virat is adorned with Velvet Gown from Crown to the Feet and then the main deity is decorated with flower garlands.

Who should perform Poolangi Seva?

Here’s who should do Poolangi Seva:

Anyone who wants to offer their prayers to Lord Venkateswara should perform this seva.

What are the best days to do Tiruppavada and Poolangi Seva?

The best days to perform this sevas are:

These poojas are performed only on Thursday.
One should make prior bookings to get the dates to perform this pooja.
It should be performed early in the morning, the best time to do this pooja is 5 a.m.

What is the procedure for performing Poolangi and Tiruppavada Seva?

Here’s how to do Tiruppavada Seva:

On Thursdays, Tiruppavada Seva is performed as arjitha Seva in the Mandapam in front of the Bangura Vakili and Annakutotsavam (where heaps of tamarind rice are poured) is performed.
A large rectangular tub – like golden vessel is placed in the mandapam and a huge quantity of “Pulihora”-tamarind rice, along with other sweet preparations such as payasam, laddu, jilebi, thenthola, appam etc and other delicacies are deposited thereon with coconuts, flowers, sandal paste, Kumkum, deepam and is placed in that trapezoid receptacle to be offered as naivedya to the Lord.
Amidst chanting of Mantras, the previous wide Naamam is peeled off and a thin Naamam is adorned on the forehead of Mula Virat just to cover the space between His eyebrows.
When this happens, it is believed that the Lord’s first gaze after “opening” His Eyes (because they were covered by the Naamam earlier) should not fall on mortals, because it has huge power that could not be withstood by humans.
Instead, it is made to fall on the mound of “Pulihora” directly in front of Him, thereby sanctifying it and reducing the intensity of His Gaze. The “Pulihora” therefore acts like a Veil (“Paavada” in Telugu/Tamil) protecting devotees from His Powerful Gaze.

Here’s how to do Poolangi Seva:

Poolangi Seva is a ritual in which the Moola Virat of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam Temple, is dressed in rich velvety attire, covering the Moola Virat from head to toe.
Garlands made of flowers are then put on the deity. Every Thursday after the Tiruppavada Seva the Poolangi Seva is performed. It is an ancient ritual and a reference to the ritual is even made in the Tamil classic, Silappadikaram, in sometime around 756 AD.

Where to perform Tiruppavada and Poolangi Seva?

A devotee can perform these poojas in the Tirumala temple premises. It is performed only on Thursday.

What is the cost of Poolangi Seva?

The pilgrims who wish to be a part of Tiruppavada and Poolangi seva, they need to book tickets either online through ttd website or offline. Ticket cost is approximately Rs. 850/- per person. The pilgrim can book for 6 persons at a time.
They will also get Prasadam after conducting the seva as 1 Big Laddu, 1 Vada, 1 Jalebi, 1 Tentola, Pulihora, and 1 Uttariyam or 1 Blouse piece.

Laxmi Puja 2019 – Procedure, Cost and Benefits

September 25, 2019, Sasidhar Darla Leave a Comment Filed Under: Pujas

Laxmi Puja Date for 2019 in India – Sunday, November 27, 2019

Laxmi Puja is totally dedicated to Diwali on which, Goddess Laxmi visits one’s home. There is a total of 16 rituals for the proper completion of this pooja. This pooja falls on the day of Amavasya which is generally inauspicious, but for this day it is very auspicious. People light lamps in the evening to welcome the Goddess Laxmi.

Laxmi Puja Muhurat 2019

Muhurat	Day Parts	Timings
Dur Muhurat	Evening	04:18 PM to 05:03 PM Duration – 45 minutes
Amrit Kaal Muhurat	Night	09:33 PM to 10:59 PM Duration – 1 Hour 26 Mins
Varjyam Kaal Muhurat	Midnight	12:58 PM to 02:24 PM Duration – 1 Hour 26 Mins
Abhijit Muhurat	Noon	11:48 AM – 12:33 PM Duration – 45 minutes

Laxmi Puja Facts-

Dates	November 27, 2019
Deity	Goddess Laxmi
Related Festival	Diwali and Dhanteras
Number of Rituals Performed	Sixteen (16)
Day	Amavasya
Significance	Wealth and Prosperity

What is the significance of Laxmi Puja?

Many of you must have seen and observed Laxmi Puja during Diwali but very few might be aware of the significance of worshipping Goddess Laxmi on Diwali.

The festival of Diwali starts from Dhanteras and the main festival of lights, Diwali falls on the third day.
Laxmi Puja has great religious or mythological significance behind them. It is the festival of worshipping the goddess of wealth.
According to Hindu mythology, Goddess Laxmi likes cleanliness, and she visits the cleanest house first.
This is also the reason why the broom is worshipped on this day with offerings of Haldi and Kumkum.

Laxmi Puja Significance — Goddess Laxmi with Lord Ganesh and Goddess Saraswati holds significant importance among Hindu devotees specially during the festival of Diwali.

What is the importance of Laxmi Puja?

Laxmi is the Goddess of wealth and prosperity and she is worshipped for promotion, success and personal virtues.
People worship her for spiritual prosperity and material abundance.
It is believed that she helps remove the troubles that prevent people from moving on a spiritual path or carry on their businesses.

What Goddess Laxmi Symbolizes?

As per Hindu Puranas and Rituals, Goddess symbolizes much more than wealth. According to it-

Goddess Laxmi emerged from the water along with the nectar during the churning of the ocean done by the Gods and Demons.
Water is a symbol of love and Laxmi is depicted as sitting on a lotus which is floating in the water.
Lotus is the symbol of dispassion.
A droplet of water moves freely on the lotus petals, which indicates that when we are not attached to wealth, life is light like a flower.
Also, it is believed that this type of wealth is life-supporting and brings prosperity and abundance.
The usefulness and value of wealth are highest when it is shared and is moving.
Diwali is the festival of lights and it is essential you honor all aspects of wealth in life that day.

What happens in Laxmi Puja?

Lamps are lit in the evening to welcome the goddess. They are believed to light up her path. Laxmi Puja consists of a combined puja of five deities:

Ganesha is worshipped at the beginning of every auspicious act as Vighnaharta.
Goddess Laxmi is worshipped in her three forms – Mahalaxmi (the goddess of wealth and money), Mahasaraswati (the goddess of books and learning), and Mahakali
Kuber (the treasurer of the gods) is also worshiped.

The activities of devotees during Laxmi Puja is-

Purvang Karma – Ganesh Pujan, MatraPujan, Abhyudaya, Punyawachan, KalashSthapana, Rakshavidhan, Navgrah Puja.
Puja of Mata Lakshmi – as per auspicious Muhurta.
Ashtottara Namavali Path, Lakshmi stotra path.
Homa or Havan.
Goddess Laxmi Prayer.

Who should perform Laxmi Puja?

This pooja should be done by the head of the family alongside his wife.
Devotees who want to seek the blessings with the grace of Goddess Lakshmi should perform this puja.
People also perform this puja for the success of their new-age businesses and startups.
Different people from different regions perform Laxmi Puja around different times in the year.

What are the benefits of doing Laxmi Puja?

Laxmi Puja removes all the problems or issues from a professional and personal life. It makes one financially stable and wealthy.
The individual will never face any financial problems in his life. This puja will also remove the ill effects of the Grah Dosh.
One will surely get a huge benefit if the individual has invested somewhere.
The devotee will also lead a smooth and harmonious family life without facing any issues.
It will also improve the communication skill of the individual and gives a good outcome for the business.

Why should I perform Laxmi Puja?

Since wealth is the most important component for maintenance and progress in our lives, people do Laxmi Pujan to please Goddess Laxmi who is considered as the Goddess of wealth and prosperity.

But here, wealth does not only signify more money. It means seeking abundance in

Knowledge
Skills
Talents

When should I perform Laxmi Puja?

Laxmi Puja should take place during Pradosh Kaal. This period starts after sunset and lasts for approximately 2 hours and 24 minutes.
Many people also believe that Laxmi Puja should take place during Mahanishita Kaal.
The Muhurat that is not advisable for the Laxmi Puja is the Choghadiya Muhurat.
One should perform the Laxmi Puja when Sthir Lagna prevails during the Pradosh Kaal.

Laxmi Puja is observed during the 5 days festivities of Diwali. The Goddess Laxmi is worshipped during Dhanteras and the night of Badi Diwali which falls on the night of Amavasya.

How to perform Laxmi Puja?

Here’s how to perform Laxmi Puja:

Place a red cloth without any black mark on the floor.
Prepare a bed of rice and place the Kalash in it. Fill 75% of the pot with water from the Ganges. Place some grains, flower, a betel nut, harvested rice and a clean coil inside the Kalash. Arrange the bunch of mango leaves on the top of the Kalash.
Then, place a small plate or a thali on the top of the Kalash. Draw the design of lotus with turmeric powder. Place a picture or an idol of Goddess Laxmi on it along with some coins.
Also, place the idol of the Ganesha towards the right side of the Kalash and sprinkle the holy water on the puja items in order to purify them.
The rituals take place with the help of Kumkum, Haldi (turmeric powder) and flowers. There are many lamps and incense sticks and one chant the mantras to seek the blessings of the God and Goddess.
Recite the mantras by holding some flowers and rice on the palms and sprinkle them on the idol of the Goddess. The cleaning ritual is taking place by placing the idol of Laxmi on a thali pouring water, milk, ghee, curd, and honey.
After this wipe the idol with a clean cloth and placed back on the Kalash. The offerings to the deity include coconut, fruits, betel leaves, betel nuts, and sweets. Then, perform a silent aarti in the end.

What are the materials required for Laxmi Puja?

Materials required for Laxmi Puja on Diwali are:

Samagri/ Things required	Quantity
Icons of Lord Ganesha, Goddess Saraswati, Lakshmi and Narayan	1 each
Silver and Gold coins	as per your requirement and facility.
Paan or Mango leaves	5
Uncooked Rice	100 grams
A coconut	1
Supari’s	10
Kumkum for applying tilak	100 grams
Mithai (Indian sweets)	as per your requirement
Dry fruits (almonds, cashews)	100 grams each
Gulaal (Holi color)	100 grams of each color
Diyas	5 minimum
Agarbattis (incense sticks)	2 Packets
Camphor	1 Packet
Red string	1 Roll

Materials for Laxmi Puja — Different Puja Materials that are required for the auspicious Puja of Goddess Laxmi during Diwali.

Other requirements are:

Rose or other flower petals.
Panchamrita.
New note-book.
A piece of red cloth for putting the pooja items
Thaali for Puja
Rosewater for Puja
A packet of Cottonseeds
Lotus Flower Seeds
Dry whole Turmeric
Coriander seeds
A Chawki for the deities.
Some currency notes
Ghee for the Diyas
Water, etc.

What is the cost of performing Laxmi Puja?

The cost of Laxmi Puja ranges from Rs. 3500 to Rs. 6000 that includes all the materials for the puja.

If you have any questions related to Laxmi Puja, please leave a comment below and we will reply within an hour.

Ashtadala Pada Padmaradhana Seva Tirumala

June 28, 2022, Sasidhar Darla 7 Comments Filed Under: Pujas, Tirumala

Here is everything you want to know about Ashtadala Pada Padmaradhana Seva of Lord Venkateswara in Tirumala Tirupati.

What is Ashtadala Pada Padmaradhana Seva?

Ashtadala Pada Padmaradhana Seva is conducted after the second bell in Tirumala Temple. This ritual was initially introduced in Srivari Temple in 1984 when a Muslim devotee presented Lord Srinivasa with 108 gold lotuses. The Archana begins by offering dhupa to the key deity followed by reciting Devadasa (108) names of the Lord.

Each chant is followed by one golden lotus offered at the holy feet of the lord Srinivasa.

Ashtadala Seva — Ashtadala Pada Padmaradhana

Who should perform Ashtadala Pada Padmaradhana Seva?

Here’s who should do the Seva:

A single person or a couple can perform this pooja for their successful life.

What are the benefits of performing Ashtadala Pada Padmaradhana Seva?

Here are the benefits of the Seva:

The Devotee can financial stability and get the divine blessings of the Lord.
People also believe that by doing this pooja they can get good health, harmony success, and fulfillment of desires.

What are the best days to do Ashtadala Pada Padmaradhana Seva?

The best days to perform the seva are:

This pooja is performed on every Tuesday in the Tirumala temple.
One should make prior bookings to get the dates to perform this pooja.
It should be performed early in the morning, the best time to do this pooja is 5.30 a.m.

What is the procedure for performing Ashtadala Pada Padmaradhana Seva?

Here’s how to do the Seva:

The Archana begins with the puja by offering dhupa and diva to the key deity.
Then the pujaris enumerate the Devadasa names of the Lord.
While reciting each name of the Lord, one golden lotus is offered at the feet of Lord Srinivasa.
On completion of the Archana for the main deity Archana is then offered for Goddess Lakshmi and Goddess Padmavati.
After that Ratha aarti is offered first, followed by usual aarti.
During this special puja, the arjitha ticket holders are seated in the Antalya corridor that is located between the Kulasekhara padi and Bangaru Vakili.

What are the materials required for Ashtadala Pada Padmaradhana Seva?

The basic materials required for Ashtadala Seva are turmeric powder, sandalwood powder, Kumkum, betel leaves, supari, rice, camphor, mango leaves, and the most important golden lotus. Apart from these if any other materials are required, they are provided after booking the ticket for this pooja.

Where to perform Ashtadala Pada Padmaradhana Seva?

A devotee can perform this pooja in the Tirumala temple premises. It is performed only on Tuesday. Devotees can take a seat inside Garbha Griha, once they are seated in the garbha griha the curtains will be closed at the Jaya Vijaya statues which is the last door.

What is the cost of Ashtadala Seva?

The cost of performing this pooja is Rs.1,250 per person. They can get the tickets from the Tirumala temple website.

Pitru Paksha 2019 – Start Date, End Date, Significance of Shraddh

October 8, 2019, Sasidhar Darla 2 Comments Filed Under: Pujas

Pitru Paksha 2019: Pitru Paksha, a 16 day lunar period in Hindu calendar begins on Friday, September 13 and concludes on Saturday, September 28. Pitru Paksha is a ritual performed for the dead ancestors. Hindus pay homage to their ancestors during this period.

Pitru Paksha is also known as Pitru Pakshya, Pitri Pokkho, Sola Shraddha, Kanagat, Jitiya, Mahalaya Paksha and Apara Paksha. The word ‘Pitras’ means ‘Ancestors’ and ‘Paksha’ means ‘A particular time’. It is considered to be an inauspicious time. No good task is done during this period.

During the ceremony, the death rites that are performed is termed ‘Tarpan’ or ‘Shraddha’. It is believed that performing the Pitru Dosha blesses the entire family. It is performed only by the male members of the family.

Pitru Paksha 2019 Dates

Date	Day	Shraddha
13 September 2019	Friday	Purnima Shraddha
14 September 2019	Saturday	Pratipada Shraddha
15 September 2019	Sunday	Dwitiya Shraddha
16 September 2019	Monday	Tritiya Shraddha
17 September 2019	Tuesday	Chaturthi Shraddha
18 September 2019	Wednesday	Maha Bharani, Panchami Shraddha
19 September 2019	Thursday	Shashti Shraddha
20 September 2019	Friday	Saptami Shraddha
21 September 2019	Saturday	Ashtami Shraddha
22 September 2019	Sunday	Navami Shraddha
23 September 2019	Monday	Dashami Shraddha
24 September 2019	Tuesday	Ekadashi Shraddha
25 September 2019	Wednesday	Dwadashi Shraddha
26 September 2019	Thursday	Trayadoshi Shraddha
27 September 2019	Friday	Magha Shraddha
28 September 2019	Saturday	Sarva Pitra Amavasya

Why do we perform Pitru Paksha?

We perform Pitru Paksha Puja because:

It ensures that the ancestors go to heaven.
It is believed that the live members of the family won’t be in peace if the ancestors are not resting in peace. The family will keep facing some of the other problems.
Not performing the puja can make the women of the family not have children.
It ensures that the ancestors rest in peace by clearing their sins.

What is the history of Pitru Paksha ritual?

According to mythology, the reason for performing Pitru Paksha relates to King Karna, the son of the Sun God from Mahabharata. King Karna was always deeply involved in charity and could never say no to anybody. After his death in the Mahabharat war, when he went to heaven, he was offered food made of gold.

He asked the Gods why such a great was offered food this way even after doing so much charity. He was told that this was because he only offered gold as a charity and not food. King Karna neither offered food and water to his ancestors nor the poor people. Realizing his mistake, King Karna wanted to correct it. The Gods thus decided to let Karna return to Earth for 15 days to feed the poor. This helped him to get rid of the problem. This period is called Pitru Paksha.

Who can perform Pitru Paksha ritual?

The son of the dead ancestor performs the Pitru Paksha. If the person has no son, any other male member can perform the Puja. In cases where a person has more than one son, the eldest son performs the Puja.

Where do we perform Pitru Karma?

One can perform the Puja in a lake beside their house.
They can also perform this Puja at the banks of a river.
One can also visit Gaya or Varanasi to perform the Puja.

Pitru Paksha Pooja Place - Ganga — **Pitru Paksha Pooja Place – Ganga**

Materials required to perform Pitru Paksha 2019

The materials required to perform Pitru Paksha are:

White rice, A bucket of water, Piece of Kush grass (with roots attached), and Black till for performing the Tarpan.
Ghee, 5 pairs of Puri/Suhari and Sweet rice, Black Till, Camphor, 1 Diya, Wood, Mango leaves, Lota with water and prepared food to take outside for performing the Havan.
Prepared meals, or 3 or 5 pairs of Suhari/Puri and sweet rice for performing the Bhojan.

**Pitru Paksha Materials Required for Pooja**

How to perform Pitru Paksha in 2019?

The ceremony of Pitru Paksha consists of three parts. These are:

Tarpan
Havana
Bhojan

Method of offering Tarpan:

Mix the black till and white rice into the bucket of water. After that plant the Kush grass on the southern side of you. Then tie the Kush grass into a knot.
Join your hands together and allow the water to scoop down your palms.
Face the east and offer the ‘Jal’ with hands to the sun and recite 3 times, “Om Sri Suriyaayaai Namah.”
Face the south and offer Tarpan with hands to the deceased ancestor. Do it 3 times for each ancestor in the following way: (Call the name of deceased) and recite “Pitra Swaadhaa”.
Offer Tarpan 3 times. Say “Sarva Pitra Swaadhaa”

Method of performing Havan:

Face south with the Havan Kund in front of. Say “Om Namo Narayana Namah” seven times. Spend a few moments reflecting on the forefathers who are honoured with Pitra Havan.
Set the fire and make ghee offerings to the forefathers. Recite the same mantras as the Tarpan.
Mix the ghee, black till, puri and sweet rice together.
Make the offerings like the Tarpan using this mixture.
Take the prepared food for forefathers outside.

Method of performing Bhojan:

At least three people should accompany you.
Take the food and a lighting piece of stick or camphor to the back of your house.
Place the fire down and the food and water down in a neat way.
Pause for a while to seek the protection of these souls and then turn around and leave.
You should not look at the food you have offered.

What are the rules for performing the Pitru Paksha ritual?

The rules for performing the Pitru Paksha are:

The male performing the Puja should bathe before performing the Puja.
The male performing the Puja should wear a Dhoti.
He should wear a ‘Kush Grass’ ring.
He should be bare-chested.
The person performing the Puja should not have anything negative in his mind.
Do not do anything ‘new’ during this time. Like engagement, wedding, buying property etc.
Avoid eating non-vegetarian food, onion, garlic, jeera, mustard oil etc.
Do not harm any living beings during this period.

What is the cost of performing Pitru Paksha?

The cost of performing Pitru Paksha starts from as low as Rs 25 and can go up to Rs 5000.

The pandit performs the puja for a group of people together at the lower budget and the size of the group decreases with the increase in the budget. The budget ranges from Rs 2500-5000 if a Pandit dedicates himself to perform your Puja. This includes the cost of ingredients and donations.

If you have any queries related to Pitru Paksha Pooja, please leave a comment and we will reply within an hour.