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| Nandi Pradosha worship, Big temple, Thanjavur. TN FindMessages.com |
Pradosha or Pradosham closely connected with the worship of God Shiva, one of the trinity gods, is a bimonthly event on the thirteenth day of every fortnight in Hindu calendar. The auspicious 3-hour period, 1.5 hours before and after the sunset, it is widely believed, is the optimum time for worship of Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva had danced on the Thithi of Thrayodashi, hence one and half hours on thrayodashi are being observed as the time of Pradosha in all the Shiva temples irrespective of locations. Please bear in mind that it is the most suitable time to pray to God Shiva.
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| pradhosham: devotees at Brihadeeswarar Temple,Thanjavur, TN flickr.com |
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| Sani pradodham, Big temple, Thanjavur, TN.pulivahanan.wikifoundry.com |
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| Big temple, Thanjavur. TN.tamilnow.com |
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| Sadhaya Vizha.Thanjavur big temple, Abishekam being done big lingam . thehindu.com |
Frankly speaking, about 10 or 15 years ago, Pradosha puja was done on a low key and during that time, the temple was not crowded as it is to-day. But, in the last decade, Pradosha puja has assumed so much importance that there is no Shiva temple in Tamil Nadu where Pradosha is not observed. As for the big temple, Thanjavur, on the occasion of Pradosa, the entire space around the Nandi mantap is packed to the capacity. Besides, to have Dharsan of the main deity - huge lingam in the sanctum, devotees have to stand in the long line for a pretty long time.
It is to be borne in mind, among the Indian states, Tamil Nadu has the largest number of Hindu temples across its land and, by the same token, a small section of Tamil people with rationalistic bend of mind would severely criticize the Hindus and their purported superstitious beliefs, idol worship etc., without realizing that they are hurting the sentiments of tolerant Hindu community and their freedom of worship. They makeblatantly blasphemous and vulgar remarks publicly without any reservation. Rationalists' severe criticism and propaganda did not have any effect on the religiously minded people.
Their acts and disparaging utterances are visibly anti-national and anti- Hindu. Despite their tirade, on
the contrary, in the past more than a decade, devotion / Bhakti among the Tamils has gone up manifold and I can see for myself more people in the Hindu temples than ever before, a fact no body can deny. It means more and more people go to temples for peace of mind and to lead a quiet life.
During the Pradosha time, the big temple at Thanjavur - Brihadeeswara temple built by Chola king Raja Raja I in 1010 AD, comes alive with unmanageable crowd of devotees
who come here for prayer and to be blessed by the lord. Countless devotees come here from near-by villages and they participate in the pujas earnestly with religious fervor. The
Pradosha vratas are quite similar to normal vratas and include
Ahimsa (no perpetration of violence), Sathya (truthfulness), Daya
(compassion), kshama (forgiveness) and brahmacharya (bachelorhood).
Normally the vratha will be ended in the evening with the visit to a
Shiva temple during pradhosha kalam and observing the worship there.
Over the one and half hours, the lord is anointed / bathed in the midst
of recitation of certain mantras. For abishekam various substances and
special pooja are offered. Lord's mount Nandi (also Nandidevar)
gets special attention and is given abhisheka in milk, sandal,
water, fragrant fluids among others. He is offered a special dish made
out of red rice (Puttarisi) and worshiped by everyone. Tradition has it
that devotees are allowed to whisper their wishes, prayers into his
ears to pass them onto God Shiva, during pradhosha kala. Nandi, being
closest to the Lord, tradition has it, that devotees can have a darshan
of Shiva linga through and in between the horns of Nandi, just the way
he had danced at the very first pradosha.
The highlight of every pradosha is what is called the Soma Sooktha Pradakshinam. wherein the Pradosha Nayakar, a small statue of Shiva and Parvathi, standing on Nandi comes out only during the pradosha is carried in a procession around the temple three times, followed by the devotees. This is called the Somasooktha pradakshinam that starts from the Kodimaram (flagpole or Dwajasthambam), close to Nandi. After darshan of the linga through Nandi’s horns, the procession, instead of going clock-wise, goes around the temple anti-clockwise until it reaches the Gomukhi (the spout from which the abhisheka waters come out). There the procession turns back and comes back to the Kodimaram and continues its clockwise procession until it reaches the Chandikeswara shrine. Once again the direction of travel is reversed and the procession ends up at the kodi maram (flag-mast). This weird circumambulation (pradakshanam) is repeated three times with the Pradosha Nayakar in the lead. This is called the Somasooktha pradakshinam because while doing it, the lord and the devotees form the shape of a crescent moon (Soma-moon).
Somasooktha pradakshinam is done to commemorate the circumambulation of the Devas around Mt Kailash when they came for help during the churning of the sea of milk and the emergence of poison from Serpent Vasuki. The Devas kept running between Nandidevar and the poison, and pleaded the lord to help. The Nandi mandapam and the gomukhi, represent the above. The Somasooktha pradakshinam is in fact a re-enactment of the devas pleading to Shiva for help.
The pradosha vrata, it is strongly believed, is a highly potent one and effective, and the devotees will be bestowed with happiness, wealth, health and peace of mind, besides they get salvation - free from the birth cycle and attain Shiva Loka after their mortal life. This story above is a shortened version of “Pradhosha Mahimai” described by Sandilyar. The reading or listening of this story during pradhosha is said to have good effect on the devotees. It is equal to doing the entire prescribed pooja and rituals.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/vjisinphotography/31932549300
https://kshetrapuranas.wordpress.com/2009/02/page/1/
The highlight of every pradosha is what is called the Soma Sooktha Pradakshinam. wherein the Pradosha Nayakar, a small statue of Shiva and Parvathi, standing on Nandi comes out only during the pradosha is carried in a procession around the temple three times, followed by the devotees. This is called the Somasooktha pradakshinam that starts from the Kodimaram (flagpole or Dwajasthambam), close to Nandi. After darshan of the linga through Nandi’s horns, the procession, instead of going clock-wise, goes around the temple anti-clockwise until it reaches the Gomukhi (the spout from which the abhisheka waters come out). There the procession turns back and comes back to the Kodimaram and continues its clockwise procession until it reaches the Chandikeswara shrine. Once again the direction of travel is reversed and the procession ends up at the kodi maram (flag-mast). This weird circumambulation (pradakshanam) is repeated three times with the Pradosha Nayakar in the lead. This is called the Somasooktha pradakshinam because while doing it, the lord and the devotees form the shape of a crescent moon (Soma-moon).
Somasooktha pradakshinam is done to commemorate the circumambulation of the Devas around Mt Kailash when they came for help during the churning of the sea of milk and the emergence of poison from Serpent Vasuki. The Devas kept running between Nandidevar and the poison, and pleaded the lord to help. The Nandi mandapam and the gomukhi, represent the above. The Somasooktha pradakshinam is in fact a re-enactment of the devas pleading to Shiva for help.
The pradosha vrata, it is strongly believed, is a highly potent one and effective, and the devotees will be bestowed with happiness, wealth, health and peace of mind, besides they get salvation - free from the birth cycle and attain Shiva Loka after their mortal life. This story above is a shortened version of “Pradhosha Mahimai” described by Sandilyar. The reading or listening of this story during pradhosha is said to have good effect on the devotees. It is equal to doing the entire prescribed pooja and rituals.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/vjisinphotography/31932549300
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