Vaishnava temples teem with devotees as Dhanurmasa festivities begin

Karimnagar: Dhanurmasa celebrations traditionally conducted by Vaishnavas began in Vaishnava temples across the joint Karimnagar district on Monday.

It has been a long time since these celebrations were held with great splendor in Vaishnava traditions irrespective of the village or town. Dhanurmasam starts one month before Sankranti. In the Hindu way of life, nature is worshiped with utmost devotion. According to the Hindu calendar based on the Puranic scriptures, orthodox religious rituals are regularly performed with devotion.

The Dhanurmas celebrations started in grand note in the famous temples of Kondagattu Anjaneya Swamy Temple, Sundaragiri Venkateswara Swamy Temple, Mankamma Tota Sri Venkateswara Swamy, Illanthakunta Ramachandra Temple, Dharmapuri Lakshminarasimha Swamy Temple, Sri Rama Sahita Satyanarayana Swamy Temple in Karimnagar etc.

During Dhanurmasam, devotees in Vaishnava temples participate in Marga Li festivals and perform special pujas to Nirvahim Veda from 5 am to 9 am. On this occasion, the temples are crowded with devotees

According to the Hindu calendar, the time when the Sun enters the sign of Sagittarius is known as Dhanussankramanam. The period when the sun is in the moon is called Dhanurmasam. For deities Uttarayanam is considered as night and Dakshinayanam as day. The month preceding Uttara Yana is Dhanurmasam.

During this month, temples and villages bustle with Haridasa’s kirtans. It also sees people playing the drums. Rangolis are a feast for the eyes with muggles. Villages look forward to the festival of Sankranti with the celebrations of the farmers who brought the grains to their houses. In Dhanurmasam, by cleaning the house and performing lamp worship in both evenings, the grace of Mahalakshmi is obtained, the scriptures say.

In all Venkateswara temples, starting from December 16 to January 14 Makar Sankranti, for a month, the priests will explain the story of Godadevi Amma along with 30 parshas to the devotees, starting with the first lesson about the uniqueness of Godadevi Amma in the Vaishnava tradition. In these days, one day in the temples, Kalyanam is performed for Lord Godadevi Srivenkateswara Swamy.

Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple priests at Mankamma Garden, P Narasimhacharya, told The Hans India about Godadevi’s history and said it is customary to celebrate every year in Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple with Ammavari charitra narrated to the devotees every day for a month. He said that hundreds of devotees come to see Swami and perform special pooja to the deity.