How to observe Mangala Gowri Puja?- Smartha Mulakanadu Brahmins – Karnataka, Mysore side……..paddathi/sampradaya

The method of performing Mangala Gowri puja varies from region to region. This is just to give an idea about the ritual how my mother used to tell us… and how we did it….. You can always be flexible in all Hindu rituals (it depends on paddati) what matters more is devotion. And one should not ponder too much over the correct performance of rituals. A simple prayer consisting of lighting a lamp and offering a fruit is more than enough. But even then there are lots of people who want to know how to do it…….

Things Required for the Puja

An image or idol of Goddess Gowri (God Shiva-Parvati Photo, Annapurneswari Vigraha, Gangastaali and silver Ganapathi Vigraha) and five pyramid shapes (Mangala Gowri) made from turmeric powder(and little bit of Maida, add very little of Kumkuma). And One Arisina Gowri(daakshayini). Total Six. You need to preserve this for all the five weeks .

Kalash or Kalasha PS: Generally, this Maida Gowri is done with milk (not with

water) on the previous day with madi sari or silk sari( with upasa-empty stomach ) so as to get dry for the next day.

Rice about 2 Kgs. Jaggery (decorate with ADDA Kumkuma, Arisina and

Chandra) Blouse Piece folded like pyramid 5 Nos.(generally cotton

blouse pieces are used no polyester please) Cotton (Gejje Vastra or flower garland) 1 full Copra cut into half -2 no. 32 adikke and 32 pan leaves. Red flowers, Patre, and local available flowers Usual fruits (locally available) 5 types Upayana Dana (Plate of Rice and Two coconuts with

Taambula, Dakshine) Poornaphala (One Tengina kaye/fruit with Tambula

Dakshine) 16 tuppada Deepas(deepas made of wheat-Gulpapde) Naivedya – 16 unde (Gulpapde made of Ghee ,Jaggery and

Godhi Hittu)

PS: You need to preserve these 6 Gowris for 5 wks upto Swarna Gowri Vrata and do pooja along with Swarna Gowri and immerse along with Ganesha on the day of Ganesha/Gowri idol immersion.

Preparation

House or the puja area is decorated with mango leaf festoons.

All the above items are kept ready. The prasadam menu or the fruits to be offered is decided.

(normally, Two Kosambaris, Paanka, Fruits, Gulpapde(16 nos.)(put ghee on the top at the time of nivedya), tengina kaayi, Baalehannu, boiled Milk-with little bit of sakkare)

How to do the Puja

Take a Big Mane (peeta) and clean it. Put Astadala padma rangoli in center. Take one blouse piece and drape on mane.Keep the peeta on the floor at the center of pooja place preferably facing east or North direction.

Take another similar mane and drape it with another blouse piece and keep it vertical to the wall on this 1st mane.

Place Shiva parvathi photo in the center.

Place three blouse piece as above. Keep a big Silver thatte in the center of peetha Rice is dropped in the Silver thatte about half Kg .

Photo

Blouse Piece

The Silver Kalasha is kept on the rice bed. The Kalasha is to be decorated with Sunna and Arishina(pl.

note sunna and arishina combination will give red in color) The Kalash is half-filled with water, Turmeric, Kumkum,

Akshate, Gandha. The inside neck of the Kalasha pot is decorated with betel

leaves, usually five in number. A cobra cut in to two pieces one half each and filled with 16

adike and kept on 16 beetle leaf is placed on both sides of the silver thatte.

Bale, Bichole,kadige,Kannadi and other gowramma abharana items to be kept on the right of the Gowrammana kalasha.

A mirror (Small mirror with stand) is placed in front of Kalasha.

A large piece of jaggery (the four corner one) is kept at the side of the kalasha.

Now u can place the five pyramid shape Mangala Gowri made from Maida and turmeric powder on the four corners of the jaggery and one Turmeric Gowri (called dakshayini) in center - on the top of Jaggeri.

Decorate with Kumkuma and Chandra to all six Gowri. You can also put a garland made from cotton thread (gejje-

vastra) or flowers on the pyramid or idol. A Gangastaali and Annapoorneswari vigraha placed on the

right of the Kalasha. A Ganapathi Idol Silver will come in the front most of the

plate. Now put rangooli all around the peetha and place deepada

kambha at the either side of peetha. At the center, put little big rangoli any thing with round

shape. There are lot of rangoli castings available(like flowers, leaf,Lines, etc.,) in shops also. You can use them as well.

Other pooja items like panchapatre, uddarane, arghya patre, neerige chambu, udina kaddi, karpoora, halagaarathi, Ghante, and pooja book –mangalagowri vrata, panchamrita (milk, curds, ghee, honey, sugar and fresh coconut water), aarathi has to be kept ready for pooja.

Keep aasanas ready for purohitaru and your self. (bidi chape or Mane-peeta).

Please avoid using any steel items for pooja. As far as possible it should be silver, copper, or kanchu.

Last Tuesday (that is 4th or 5th week) – Please note -16 Gulpapde unde to be kept in a new Chambu or vessel or silver chambu decorated with flower and sunna and to be given to Mother as taambula. Fifth year the same to be given along with Seere(Sari).

Pl. take care to see that gowri is soaked in turmeric on a periodical basis so as not to develop crack.

The Puja Begins

Purohitaru will conduct pooja. Give him upayana dana and tambula. purohitaru will leave.

After the pooja, take mogache kai and rub it with beetle leaf. The juice of beetle leaf will stick to moghache kai. Lit all the sixteen deepas and start singing the mangalagowri haadu. Normally sung by elders/atte(Mother-inLaw) in the family. By the end of the song, now the kaajal is made. atte will comb the hair of the daugher-in-law and she will give flowers to her (Hoova mudisuvaru).

Now do the aarathi with this same 16 deepas to devi. Then regular two deepa-tuppada-deepa aarthi,

Now give kaajal to all suvasinis who are invited for pooja and give them arishina kumkuma, deepa(one deepa each) and flowers with tengina kayi taambula and dakshine. Do the namaskara for suvasini and elders. Have prasadam. – No Eat-outs please.

End of the five weeks, you have to give these blouse pieces to five suvasinis during Swarna-Gowri festival.

Hari: OM - Mangalam