Friday, November 27, 2015

Kartiki Ekadashi celebration at my ancestral town

This year, on 22nd November, it was Kartiki Ekadashi / Prabodhini ekadashi. This is the 11th lunar day (ekadashi) in the bright fortnight (Shukla Paksha) of the Hindu month of Kartik. It is believed that Vishnu sleeps on Shayani Ekadashi and wakes on Prabodhini Ekadashi, which marks the end of the four-month period of Chaturmas.
This Ekadashi is linked with different things for different regions in India. In Maharashtra, Prabodhini Ekadashi is linked with the god Vithoba - a form of Vishnu. Varkari pilgrims throng the Pandharpur temple of Vithoba on this day. The celebrations in Pandharpur continue for five days, till the full moon day (Kartik Poornima).

Now, I am not really a huge believer nor I am a person who does lot of poojas, but I am from a family who does believe in god and have been serving as poojari (priest) at different temples of Balaji at Valkeshwar, Mumbai as well as Vithoba at Phopheri, near Alibaug, both forms of Lord Vishnu. My great great great grand parents had come to Pedhambe during early 19th century, the grand mother became an entrepreneur in that time as well as they did development like constructing a well for local villagers, constructing a temple for the villagers around the area. They gave a piece of their own land for building a temple of Vithoba Rakhumai, and since then the villagers have been celebrating one of the most important Ekadashis here. Since my ancestors have been taking care of the temple, being a priest and making preparations of the utsav (celebrations) for the day, it is very much special for my family. Since I was a child, I have heard about these celebrations as my grand mother has been going there for past 61 years and has a very strong bond with the place, people and the temple.