Laxmi Puja is observed on the auspicious occasion of Tihar or Deepawali. This is the third day of Tihar when the sacred cow is worshipped with great honour. Hindus worship and regard the cow as their holy mother. So people worship the holy cow in the morning with garlands of flowers and apply a red tika on her forehead. This tradition was initiated by the people of Ayodhya, India, to express their boundless joy when Lord Rama returned after 14 years of exile. This is mentioned in the Hindu religious epic Ramayan.Illumination
During this festival, houses, shops, offices, factories and mills are brightly decorated with lights. They are also illuminated with electric bulbs and traditional lamps. This type of illumination is done for five consecutive days, beginning from the first day of Tihar. But special light arrangements are done on the day of Laxmi Puja. Flickering oil-traditional lamps are lit everywhere in yards, doorways, roof-tops, verandahs and windows. People stroll around in new clothes and buy sweets and gifts.
After the illumination in the evening, the main part of Laxmi Puja is performed during the night. It is believed that an illuminated and well-decorated house attracts the attention of the goddess of prosperity. The goddess of wealth is ritually invited to enter the house. For this purpose, a ritualistic drawing is made of purified cow-dung plaster to guide the way Laxmi in front of the main door. From the drawing, a trail of plaster of rice flour and red vermillion leads into the house and the room where Laxmi is worshipped. A beautifully decorated image of Goddess Laxmi is placed before the family treasure box or safe which contains hard cash and jewellery, valuable documents and chequebooks. Prayers are offered to multiply them.
Throughout the whole night, the earthen lamps filled with ghee or pure mustard oil are kept burning at the place where the goddess of wealth is worshipped. To please the prosperous and generous goddess of good luck all the doors and windows of the house are decorated attractively. Nobody wants to miss this golden opportunity. There is a competition in the worship of the wealth goddess.
Children love to play with fireworks during Tihar, especially on the day of Laxmi Puja. However, as firecrackers can be dangerous and harmful, their use is prohibited in Nepal.
It is understood that being the wife of Lord Vishnu, Laxmi is the paragon of beauty who sprang from the fathom of the sea when Gods and the demons churned the sea together. There was a tug-of-war between Gods and demons. At last, Lord Vishnu chose her as his life partner. She wears a crown of jewels and garlands of scented flowers. Her arms are bedecked with heavenly gems. She is herself considered a valuable treasure of the ocean. She holds a conch shell in one hand, a blossomed lotus in the other hand, a sheaf of rice in the third hand and a jar full of nectar in her fourth hand. She loves to rest on fully-blown lotus with her husband Vishnu under the shadow of Sheshnag (mythological snake).
The Nepali people worship this benevolent Goddess and offer gifts and sweets to please her. She encircles the earth on an owl, her vehicle. She makes a house-to-house inspection to see whether it is clean or not. Being a lover of light, she also observes whether a light is left burning throughout the whole night in her honour or not. If she is pleased then she protects all the valuable things and grain stores of each family and grants prosperity for the coming year. It is said that she likes to visit only those houses which are fully prepared and artistically decorated.
All monetary transactions are forbidden on this auspicious occasion. The only exception is the giving of small coins and food (selroti) to small groups of Bhailo singers.
The groups of Bhailo singers go door to door singing and dancing and asking for money. This is a time-bound tradition. Girls are supposed to ask for money on this solemn occasion. Boys’ turn comes the next day which is called Deusi.
Deepawali is also considered auspicious for gambling. Before the1940s gambling was legal in Nepal during the five-day Tihar. Today, it is banned in public according to the law, but people gamble in their houses. Happy gamblers assemble at certain houses and sit on carpets shouting their bets, throwing the cowrie shells. In the ancient days cowrie shell was considered a medium of exchange. It is believed that gambling is Laxmi’s favourite plaything. The final day of Tihar is spent in friendly family gambling.
Before the 1940s, during the five days of Tihar, troupes of musicians used to go around the town announcing that games were now open to all. Gambling seems to receive semi-religious sanction during Tihar in the belief that it is pleasing to Goddess Laxmi.
Worshipping Self
The Newars of the Kathmandu Valley perform Mha Puja. It is celebrated on the first day of the bright lunar fortnight of Kartik. It is the worship of one’s body or self. It is believed that the human body is divine and spirit dwells in the holy body. So this is performed for purifying the heart and the soul for the coming New Year. The day also honours Yama, the Lord of death.
The last day of Tihar is celebrated by worshipping brothers by their sisters. This is called Bhai Tika. All sisters honour and worship their brothers for blessings. They bestow blessing and benediction upon their sisters for their long and prosperous conjugal life. Sisters also pray to God for their brothers’ long life and wish them success in all walks
of their lives.
(The author is a culture expert.)