Lohri: Lohri celebrations mark the beginning of the harvest season. It is celebrated as a mark of gratitude for making a bountiful harvest possible. Lohri night traditionally falls on the longest night of the year, known as the winter solstice. Lohri festival indicates that the biting cold of the winter is ending and happy sunny days are arriving.
Lohri is celebrated with great gusto and fervour every year at the Mahavirji Temple, popularly known as the Pahariwala Mandir. This celebration, however, sees a very small gathering of about 25 people as most people celebrate Lohri in a small way in their houses.
Logs of wood were piled up systematically by the gardeners on the northern side of the temple. All the priests of the temple and a handful of devotees gathered around the pile at 6.15 pm.
A few shlokas were recited by the priests before lighting the holy fire. All the devotees did a “parikrama” of the holy fire. Prasad consisting of rewri, peanuts, and popcorn was distributed.
Amritvani Paath & Bhajan Sandhya by United for Mahavir ji Mandir group: Amritvani Paath and bhajans were organised on January 16 at the Ramdarbar from 3 to 5.30 pm. The prasad and other expenses were borne by Neeta Chhabra, who is a resident of the Kalindi colony. About a hundred ladies gathered to recite the paath and sing and dance to bhajans. Some of the ladies of this group sing so well that they can give professionals a run for their money.
The evening was originally expected to wrap up by 4.30 pm but as everyone was engrossed in the bhajans the program went on till 5.30 pm when an aarti was performed.
Prasad of fruits, samosa, and barfi was distributed.
Gratitude to Neeta ji for sponsorship and even sending her car to pick up the ladies who needed a ride to reach the temple.
This group plans to hold a similar program on the third Friday of every month.
Basant Panchami: Basant Panchmi falls on the fifth day of the lunar month of Magha (in late January or early February) marking the advent of spring. People dress in yellow to mark flowering mustard fields. This is not only a Hindu festival; the advent of spring is celebrated with gusto at the dargah of Hazrat Nizamuddin.
Since ancient times, this day has been celebrated as the birthday of the Goddess of Learning, Maa Saraswati.
This year Basant Panchmi was celebrated on 2nd February.
The number of devotees was limited, but the puja was conducted by all the priests in the usual manner done every year.
Maa Saraswati, whose idol was brought to the main hall for the puja, looked resplendent in yellow. All the priests and devotees wore yellow too. Kesar Halwa, sweet kesar rice, kesar kheer, and ladoos were brought by the devotees as offerings, which were distributed as prasad after the puja.
The puja commenced at 10 am with all the devotees offering yellow flowers and ended with Aarti. Dikshit Panditji returned from his holy dip at the Mahakumbh, just in time for the aarti. He brought prasad for all of us from Prayagraj.
