PONGGAL - A FESTIVAL OF THANKSGIVING FOR A BOUNTIFUL HARVEST

The month of Thai is an auspicious month in the Tamil calendar. Incidentally the Tamil calendar as well as the Hindu calendar are Solar- based calendar. Today marks the day when the Sun moves into the zodiac sign Capricorn on the celestial path. It also marks the end of winter and the beginning of spring,

This period is considered to be most auspicious for Hindus where it is celebrated all over India and other parts of the world where Hindus live with diverse cultural, spiritual and festive forms.

PONGGAL is celebrated predominantly by Tamilians as a harvest festival. Similarly in Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Maharashtra, Uttarakandh, Rajasthan, Madya Pradesh, Goa, Manipur, Odisha, Sikkim and West Bengal its called MAKARA SAKRANTHI. In Gujarat is called UTTARAYAN, MAGHI in Himachal Pradesh and Haryana, LOHRI is what is called in Punjab, BHOGALI BISU in Assam and KICHDI in Uttar Pradesh.

Interestingly this auspicious event is one of the very few Hindu festivals that fall exactly on the same date as the Gregorian calendar i.e. on 14th January every year owing to its solar orientation.

In Malaysia, Tamilians celebrate Ponggal with much fervour and gaiety. Based on the Hindu Panchagam (Hindu Almanac) the start of the month of Thai is determined. Most households would start cooking rice Ponggal (rice with milk, palm sugar (or jaggery), raisins, cashew nuts and ghee, in a earthen pot over a wood stove in front of the house. Of course in urban households more so in high rise dwellings,  it may be not be possible to use traditional stove, as such normal cooking in the kitchen is common.

The Ponggal pot is decorated with fresh turmeric plant. Turmeric is regarded as highly auspicious and holy in India.  Turmeric is associated with the sun as well as Lord Vishnu in Hinduism. Hindus also believe that Goddess Durga resides in this plant. The plant is also regarded as the manifestation of Goddess Durga. Turmeric is also used to make the form of Lord Ganesha, who is regarded as the remover of obstacles and is invoked in the beginning of all occasions. Further yellow is the colour of solar plexus chakra, where in Ayurveda (Indian Traditional Medicine) it is associated with the energy center relating to the metabolic and digestive center. Further orange is associated with the sacral chakra which is the energy point for the reproductive system. Thus the significance of turmeric. 

Ponggal or the Harvest festival in a way is also considered thanksgiving to the Sun, which has provided for the living of mankind. Prayers are offered for continued blessing for a bountiful harvest in the coming year as well. 

Ponggal festival is celebrated over four days, with day one being Boghi (Day of Cleansing), Veetu Ponngal  or Surya Ponggal (Home Ponggal / Sun Ponggal) being day two, the third is Maattu Ponggal (Cow Ponggal) and the final day being Kaanum Ponngal (Reunion Ponggal).

Boghi is the day where everyone does spring cleaning. The highlight of the day would be to burn old or unusable household items or clothing. Purchasing of new items example vehicle, furniture or fittings, new clothes etc would be welcome. A home which is cluttered with old and unused items actually generates negative energy. Similarly a home which is unkempt also does not generate positive "chi".   

Veetu Ponggal is the day when the household is decorated with sugarcane, mango leaves, and kolam . The cooking of the Ponggal as described above takes place. On a spiritual level sugarcane which is firm and straight symbolizes a stern and a balanced mind that controls the five senses (lust, anger, greed, pride and jealousy) and fosters positive thought in an individual. Mango leaves basically is believed to absorb negative energy from entering a home or places where an auspicious event is taking place. Kolam is generally drawn on the floor at the entrance of the home. Rice flour is used so as to allow it to be food for crows, squirrels, ants and other insects. As a Hindu this is part of Pancha Maha Yagna (daily duties) which is called Bhutha Yagna. This act is intended to create in man the spirit of sharing with all living beings.

On the third day the Maattu Ponggal is celebrated, where cows regarded as sacred to Hindus are honoured. This is because cows plays a significant role especially in the agricultural sector and in rural India. Cows are used as a mode of transportation, in farming, and it is also the source for milk (a staple and from which yogurt and ghee are made). Therefore it is not surprising why cows are revered in India. On this day the cows are bathed in scented water, their horns are coloured and Ponggal is cooked and served to the cows.

On the fourth day Kaanum Ponngal is celebrated. Kaanum means "to view", on this day family and friends visit each others' homes to share the joy. Also in India, this is the day employees (in particular in the agricultural sector) are given special bonuses by their bosses. This day also sees filial piety where brothers shower their married sisters with gifts. In some customs unmarried girls also seek divine blessings to be betrothed. These customs may differ from place to place.

At 6.00pm, whilst I was typing on this blog, I witnessed the milk overflowing and rice was just added to the milk and soon other ingredients would follow suit to prepare the Ponggal. This year, my daughter, Raviena had been entrusted  to make the Ponggal. Ponggal is not complete without the shout of "Ponggolo Ponggal" when the boiled milk overflows from the pot. This represents the fervour and expectations of prosperity that a household would like to witness in the coming year. It is time the younger generation understand traditions & customs and its scientific & spiritual significance. Today I see many of these traditions and practices are slowly dying, not because it has become irrelevant but due to lack of understanding and knowledge.

The role played by elders is very important in imparting these gems. However ironically many of these elders themselves are equally ignorant on many aspects of these traditions and rituals. Perhaps they themselves blindly followed their forefathers and with the passage of time it merely became a ritual without a soul, and eventually became susceptible to neglect and consigned to oblivion.

But I see a lot of curiosity in the younger generation. With the right motivation and encouragement, perhaps we can can re-ignite the "pearls of the past" to create a meaningful future.

I am going to have my bath now, the Ponggal will be ready soon, we will do our prayer and than off to dig into the sumptuous "Chakkara Ponggal" (Sweet Ponggal).

HAPPY PONGGAL EVERYONE!!!
MAY WE BE GUIDED ALWAYS WITH WISDOM AND COMPASSION
OM TAT SAT 

        

THE HIDDEN TEMPLE SERIES 1 : STAMBESWARAR TEMPLE, SIYAMANGLAM, TAMIL NADU

I chanced upon Stambeswarar Temple while reading an article in a magazine. I was intrigued by its history and during my visit to India in December 2013, I made sure to visit this historical/sacred site. The temple is located in a village called Siyamangalam, Vandavasi Taluk, Thiruvannamalai District, Tamil Nadu.

This temple was built during the reign of Mahendra Varmman I (600 - 630 CE), a Pallava King who was known for his interest in the letters and architecture. In fact he was instrumental in the rock cut architecture which later became the stamp of identity of the Pallavas. This particular type of architecture does not use brick, wood, mortar or metal. Amongst the famous architecture would be Mahabalipuram, which incidentally was also built by Mahendra Varmman I. Thevaram written by Appar and Gnanasambanthar (Tamil Saints) also flourished under his reign.  

Interestingly Mahendra Varmman was a patron of Jain faith and later he embraced Saivism under the influence of Saint Appar. In remembrance of his father Shimhavishnu whom he preceeded, Mahendra Varmman I built this temple at a holy site revered by locals for time immemorial. The protruding stone seen below has a 'Puranic' story attached to it. It is believed that this was the site where Lord Shiva's staff got embedded and the protruding stone below is said to be the staff, and legend says that the stone formation grows by a few millimetres every year.  

Today this temple comes under the purview of ASI (Archaeological Survey India). I managed to speak to the temple priest who enlightened me with many unique features of this temple. Firstly the Shiva Lingga was constructed with a square 'peedam'  (base) a typical early Pallava structure, which is unlike Chola architecture (and practiced todate) which has an oval shaped 'peedam'. Further to that the Dwarapalakar (inner sanctum guards) are Lord Yama (Lord of Death) on the right and Chitragupta (Record Keeper of Karma) on the left.

Lord Shiva's consort in this temple is known as Maragathavalli. Her statue is carved in such a way that when one looks from the right you see a smiling face and from the left, a fierce look can be seen. Interestingly from a direct frontal view her face looks pretty normal. 

There is also a carving of Lord Shiva in Dancing Nadaraja form outside the main sanctum. This is believed to be the first carving of Nadaraja in Tamil Nadu. The uniqueness of this carving is unlike the usual pose where the snake will be on Lord Nadaraja' head and a demon on his feet, here you find the snake is dancing with the Lord Nadaraja and the demon is playing a musical instrument. Nandi (Lord Shiva's Vimana is located outside the temple and the reflection from oil lamp placed in front of Nandi illuminates the inner sanctum. Lord Murugan is carved out on a another rock mound within the temple compound. So are Lord Ganesha and the Lords of the Nine Planets carved out within the compound at ground level. 

The temple is closed during full moon. It is believed that during this period Siddhars (Perfected Ones) visit this temple and offer prayers to Lord Shiva. The priest mentioned that in the morning after, holy water placed in the inner sanctum if taken on an empty stomach by women who have difficulty in conceiving, would result in their able to conceive within 48 days.

Beyond the miracle that this temple is believed to possess, I was totally awe struck by the history, architecture and the divinity this temple embraces.

Next time if you are in the neighborhood, this place is worthy of a  visit.. 

End of Gregorian 2013 and The Beginning of Gregorian 2014

On 24th February 1582, Pope Gregory XIII introduced the refined version of the Julian calendar which has been adopted as a universal standard since. 

Today marks the second day in the Gregorian calendar of the year 2014.  

My family and I ended the year with a great holiday and at the same time had to hear a tragic news about a friend who was brutally attacked as he was leaving a bank.

Life is full of surprises, my neighbor who was a national hockey player and a tennis coach by profession collapsed after a match point with a massive cardiac arrest and died on the court. On the other hand a friend, 15 years after his first boy tried unsuccessfully to have another, eventually was gifted with a baby girl in December. 

These events reflects the many wonders that we can't comprehend. Much as we try, the more intriguing it becomes. So how do we account and manage ourselves? A perpetual question dealt differently by different cohorts.

For the religious they seek divine intervention. For the secularist they crunch the numbers. When outcome conforms to expectations they resign to their convictions. But when outcome differs from expectation than rationalization sets in. To the religious they believe they have not accumulated sufficient karma to deserve an eventful outcome, so resolution for the following year would be to do more good deeds, pray harder and seek forgiveness from the almighty. To the secularist it would have been due be unsound projections, weak planning or poor execution. So the solution is to back to the drawing board to rectify the wrong.

Hence life goes on year after year driven by individual psyche based on perspective as to how they perceive their purpose of existence.

In all these haste in chasing the desired outcome often people neglect to understand and appreciate the state of a "MEANINGFUL LIFE."

Meaningful to whom? Obviously to 'thine self 'and the 'environment' one lives. 

My friends wife who is a Headmistress in a small rural primary school of fifty students narrated a story. Six of her students excelled in the Primary School Assessment Test (a government examination) and as a reward she asked these students what would they like. Apparently without hesitation all the six students indicated that they would like to visit her at her home. As much as being baffled, she, her husband and children played host to these kids who came from rural and pretty much a poor background. The students had a good time and narrated to other schoolmates. This apparently had created a buzz in the entire school and somewhat had kick started a drive to excel amongst other students. A simple gesture it may have been, but it was definitely a meaningful one that has affected the psyche of these aspiring kids. Kudos to my friend and his wife. As he is going through some difficult time now, I believe his simple and meaningful gesture would invoke positive vibration from these innocent and aspiring kids towards his healing.

Being aware and understanding the fragility of life, in itself, should lead us to a meaningful existence.

Lets reflect on what has happened in 2013 and celebrate 2014 with open arms.

OM TAT SAT.