Kumar Purnima and Puja to Laxmi

Two celebrations running concurrently in parts of India: Hemant Kumar Rout I ENS First Published : 14 Oct 2008 11:05:00 AM IST Last Updated : 14 Oct 2008 01:24:34 PM IST BALASORE: After bidding adieu to Goddess Durga, girls of the coastal district of Balasore are all set to celebrate Kumar Purnima, on Tuesday. It is a festival of unmarried girls. This autumn festival is celebrated on a full-moon day in the month of Aswina and is one of the most popular festivals of Orissa. Kumar or Kartikeya, the son of Lord Shiva was born on this day. During the festival, instead of any God, the girls worship the Sun and the Moon. “We have been celebrating this festival for years. As this is the only festival for teenage girls, we eagerly wait to celebrate it. It spreads the message of togetherness,” said Sumitra Mohanty, a college girl. Puja to Laxmi, the Goddess of Wealth, also starts from the day of Kumar Purnima and continues for a week. Beautiful images of Goddess Laxmi are prepared in clay and worshiped in brightly decorated puja pandals. Besides the ‘sarbajanin’ pujas, some people also offer puja to the Goddess after installing idols in their houses. “Many people worship the Goddess in their homes and keep themselves awake by playing pasa (chess), and other indoor games. Significantly, it suggests that those who wish to acquire wealth should always be vigilant at night. It is for this reason that the owl, the carrier of Goddess Laxmi, sleeps in the day and comes out only at night,” said Gananatha Padhi, a priest.