English meaning of the festival Arudra Dharisanam is dedicated to the Nataraja form of Lord Shiva. Arudra or Thiruvathirai refers to the nakshatra or star that prevails. Thiruvathirai means the 'big sacred wave' that resulted in the formation of the universe/creation, and devotees celebrate the cosmic dance of Lord Shiva, i.e., the [...]
English meaning of the festival Kethara (or Kedara) refers to Lord Shiva and Gowri refers to Mother Parvati (Shakti). The festival is Kethara Gowri Nombu since Mother Parvati (Gowri) observed a special vrat (fast) to Lord Shiva. The Lord pleased by her austerities, gave the left part of his body to Parvati [...]
English meaning of the festival Abhishekam (literally hydration Pooja) is the process of bathing the deity. “Annam” means rice, and Anna Abhishekam denotes bathing the deity with cooked rice. How the date is decided annually This divine ritual is performed on the Full Moon day in the Tamil month of Aippasi (mid-Oct [...]
English meaning of the festivalLord Venkateshwara or Lord Balaji is an incarnation of Lord Vishnu and known to his devotees with many names – Lord of Seven Hills, Venkateshwara, Venkatesh, Balaji, Tirumalesha, Perumalla, Govinda, and Shrinivasa.How the date is decided annuallyThiru Sundaramoorithi Guru Pooja is generally celebrated on Ekadashi (11th day) in Shukla Paksha [...]
English meaning of the festival Nori-Nem is a vrat (a religious fasting to keep a goal in mind). "Nori" means 'mongoose'. "Nem" means 'ninth. How the date is decided annually The day is celebrated on the ninth day of the holy month of Shravana. Significance of the festival to Hinduism The observation [...]
