Indore (Madhya Pradesh): The joyful atmosphere of the 10-day Ganesh festival has increased manifold with the three-day festival of worshipping Goddess Mahalaxmi in Maharastrian households starting Tuesday. Gauri puja or Mahalaxmi puja begins on the fourth day of Ganesh festival and signifies the arrival of the Goddess to her maika (mother’s home).
Gauri, often known as Jehstha (elder) and Kanistha (younger) are hailed as Ganesh’s sister. It is like a homecoming for the daughters, who come back to their mother’s place for a festival. They stay for three days. Like Ganesh Utsav brings neighbourhoods together, Gauri pooja is the traditional festival that brings families together to offer prayers to the Goddess of wealth and intellect. Houses are decorated for the arrival of the Goddess and pandals are constructed inside the house.
Generally, the preparations for the festival begin a few days ahead by cleaning the house and preparing delicacies. Devotees buy new sarees and garlands and offer them to the goddess. “The festival starts on Bhadrapaksh Shukla Saptmi every year. The first day of Mahalaxmi puja commenced on Tuesday morning this year, with the devotees taking baths and dressing up in fresh clothes.
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All the households use the same age-old mukut (faces) of the Goddess kept in the storage, along with the mukut of her son and daughter, said Smita Bhagwat. She added, “We have been doing this puja for more than 20 years at our residence.” While Nita Hinge said “We clean the house, make several food items, construct a pandal and decorate the mukuts.
The mukuts are worshipped and dressed up as if they are alive and offered flowers and prayers before the actual installation of the idols takes place.” She added on the second day of pooja, “Devotees perform mahaaarti and the women in the family spend time preparing the feast for the second day. It is a feast of ‘panchpakwanna’ (five sweets). Along with these sweets, 16 different seasonal vegetables are cooked for the goddess. ‘Otibharni’ is performed and then, ‘haldikumkum’ is done for all the invited women. While on the third day, the Gauris return home. As her blessing, the women in the house wear a yellow thread around their neck.”
