Ayodhya Puja
Bangalore is celebrating Ayodhya Puja today. Since Dassera is tomorrow, I figured this must be a prelude to the major festivities. By mid-morning I realized that the focus of this festival is entirely different. Well, maybe it has some oblique connection with Dassera but what it is I'm still trying to figure out.
Apparently, the big deal about Ayodhya Puja is vehicle puja. Our driver gave us a puzzled look when he found us totally unready for the car puja when he arrived this morning. It was still not too late to fix the problem so he drove us to a Ganesha temple in Malleswaram. What we saw on the way was quite unbelievable. It was a veritable riot of color! There were cars, scooters, auto rickshaws, buses, and trucks festooned with marigold garlands, plantain leaves, and assorted decorations. On some of the trucks, barring a tiny opening near the windshield, practically every inch of the vehicle was laden with flowers and streamers. I noticed that the trucks and buses bore the most festive look of all the vehicles on the road.
There was a long line of cars at the temple, in varying stages of the puja ceremony. The first thing we had to do was to buy a five-rupee "Vehicle Puja" ticket. Then, we went off to buy the puja saamagri--incense sticks, camphor, coconut, fruits, lemons, kumkum, and flowers. Talk about slick marketing, the puja kits were nicely organized. We had to wait for 20 minutes because there were many cars in front of us, including an ambulance, autorickshaws, and a bicycle.
We patiently stood next to the car with folded hands as the pujari went about the routine. He started off by applying kumkum on the steering wheel, the hood, and some other spots on the car. Then he placed four lemons, one under each tire. This was followed by some mantras. The incense sticks were lit and the inside of the car was given a quick whiff of mysore sandal fragrance. With a quick and seasoned action, the coconut was broken into two equal halves. He asked me my name, applied tilak on my forehead, and chanted some more mantras. The same procedure was repeated with the driver. We deposited our dakshina with the pujari, took the prasad and drove off. Our vehicle is now officially blessed.
The Americans may love their cars but this is one day when the Kannadigas definitely go overboard for their vehicles.
Apparently, the big deal about Ayodhya Puja is vehicle puja. Our driver gave us a puzzled look when he found us totally unready for the car puja when he arrived this morning. It was still not too late to fix the problem so he drove us to a Ganesha temple in Malleswaram. What we saw on the way was quite unbelievable. It was a veritable riot of color! There were cars, scooters, auto rickshaws, buses, and trucks festooned with marigold garlands, plantain leaves, and assorted decorations. On some of the trucks, barring a tiny opening near the windshield, practically every inch of the vehicle was laden with flowers and streamers. I noticed that the trucks and buses bore the most festive look of all the vehicles on the road.
There was a long line of cars at the temple, in varying stages of the puja ceremony. The first thing we had to do was to buy a five-rupee "Vehicle Puja" ticket. Then, we went off to buy the puja saamagri--incense sticks, camphor, coconut, fruits, lemons, kumkum, and flowers. Talk about slick marketing, the puja kits were nicely organized. We had to wait for 20 minutes because there were many cars in front of us, including an ambulance, autorickshaws, and a bicycle.
We patiently stood next to the car with folded hands as the pujari went about the routine. He started off by applying kumkum on the steering wheel, the hood, and some other spots on the car. Then he placed four lemons, one under each tire. This was followed by some mantras. The incense sticks were lit and the inside of the car was given a quick whiff of mysore sandal fragrance. With a quick and seasoned action, the coconut was broken into two equal halves. He asked me my name, applied tilak on my forehead, and chanted some more mantras. The same procedure was repeated with the driver. We deposited our dakshina with the pujari, took the prasad and drove off. Our vehicle is now officially blessed.
The Americans may love their cars but this is one day when the Kannadigas definitely go overboard for their vehicles.
Comments