Shri Vara Mahalakshmi Vrata – July 31st 2009

Pictures taken during Shri Vara Mahalakshmi Vrata at my Brother-in-Law’s Sister Chandrika’s house last year. Click on the images to see larger pictures.

Shri Vara MahaLakshmi Vrata 1

Shri Vara MahaLakshmi Vrata 2

Shravana Gauri 1

Shravana Gauri 2

Update: Lakshmi Pooje picture done at my house last year on the eve of Shravana Shukravara – August 8th 2008.

Shri Lakshmi Pooje

Shri Vara Mahalakshmi Vrata is performed by married Hindu women to seek the blessings of the Goddess Mahalakshmi, wife of Lord Vishnu.

The Vrata is observed on the Friday immediately preceding the full moon day of the month of
Sravana Masa. On the day of Pooje or Vrata, women clean their homes and decorate their front yards with rangolis. Later, they take a bath and deck wear pure silk saree and jewellery. The lady performing the pooje makes a mandala with the drawing of a lotus upon it. A kalasha filled with rice and topped with fresh mango and betel leaves, a coconut smeared with haldi and kumkum and cloth are placed on the mandala and Lakshmi is invoked therein.

After the worship of the kalasha, follows the worship of Ganesha, then the worship of the sacred thread. Now the main worship of Vara Lakshmi begins and the scared thread is worshipped a second time. It is then tied to the right hand of the lady. After the worship thamboola is given to 5 married ladies.

The same evening, we invite all the neighboring ladies(married women) and offer them tamboola; also called veeledele Adike, which is an offering of betel leaves, fruits, betel nuts, kumkum, haldi and dakshine. At this point the ladies also sing songs in praise of goddess Varalakshmi.

So, here comes the link which has the lyrics for all songs posted on this blog on Goddess Lakshmi.

• Lakshmi Pooje songs

And here comes the link which has colorful and many designs for drawing Rongoli

• Rangoli Designs

And can any festival be complete without authentic dishes? Here are some recipes posted in this blog:

• Authentic Madhwa Dishes. This has recipes for Cucumber Kosambari, Beans Palya, Potato Palya, Lemon Rice, Ambode, Majjige Huli, Nucchina Unde, Gojju, Badam puri etc.

P.S: As always no food is prepared with onion or garlic. Also, we don’t have this Vrata in my in-laws side. But, we are allowed to go to houses where this Vrata is being performed. So, invite me if you are doing the Pooje. Just kidding.