Hari Krishnamurthy's blog

Friday 25 December 2015

Thiruvathirai (Aruthra Tharisanam) will be celebrated on 26th Dec 2015


Thiruvathirai (Aruthra Tharisanam)  will be celebrated on 26th Dec 2015 
Arudra Darisanam, a festival dedicated to Lord Nataraja, is major event in the Shiva temples in Tamil Nadu. This festival is observed during the full moon night in the Tamil month of Margazhi (December-January).




This is a grand festival in which abhisheks are offered to Lord Nataraja and Sivakami, his consort. The rituals are held in the pre-dawn hours, when the moon is still shining brightly. Various ceremonies are held amid the holy chants in Sanskrit and Tamil. A grand procession is later taken through the streets.

Thiruvathira festival is also celebrated in Kerala, but for a different reason. It is more of a women festival in Kerala with women emulating Goddes parvati, who tries to get Shiva as her husband.

THIRUVATHIRAI KALI (MASHED FLOUR): Cendanar of Naukoor, a disciple of Paddinattu Adigal, used to eat only after feeding some Saiva devotees. Due to a constant bad weather he could not get together all the essentials for a proper meal. He had no option but to mix water with flour and prepare a mashed paste. Lord Siva understood his predicament. He wanted the people to know how sincere his devotee was to him. Therefore he disguised himself as a Siva devotee and visited Cendanar's hut and enjoyed what was given to him as food. The temple attendants saw the premises scattered with the mashed paste the following morning. Inquiries led to an understanding of Cendanar's piety and he was thereafter bestowed with all due respect. This incident took place in a Markali Thiruvathirai. This is why Thiruvathirai Kali forms an important prasad on this holy day.

How to celebrate Thiruvadhirai: On this auspicious day, unmarried women and girls should take oil bath and wear new clothes. Clean the house, decorate the pooja room by putting kolam and make the unmarried girls or children sit near the kolam and place a banana leaf and keep 1 ladle of thiruvadhirai kali along with thalagam, beetle leaves(Vetrilai), banana, coconut and do neivedhyam and seek the blessings of the God Lord Shiva.

Recipes
      

Thiruvathirai Kali

Posted: 23 Dec 2015 05:21 PM PST

Thiruvathirai Kali is prepared on the auspicious occasion of Thiruvathirai. Cendanar of Naukoor, a disciple of Paddinattu Adigal, used to eat only after feeding some Saiva devotees. Due to a constant bad weather he could not get together all the essentials for a proper meal. He had no option but to mix water with flour and prepare a mashed paste. Lord Siva understood his predicament. He wanted the people to know how sincere his devotee was to him. Therefore he disguised himself as a Siva devotee and visited Cendanar's hut and enjoyed what was given to him as food. The temple attendants saw the premises scattered with the mashed paste the following morning. Inquiries led to an understanding of Cendanar's piety and he was thereafter bestowed with all due respect. This incident took place in a Markali Thiruvathirai. This is why Thiruvathirai Kali forms an important prasad on this holy day.


Thiruvathirai Kali
Thiruvathirai Kali
Preparation Time10 mins
Cooking Time 20 mins
Servings3

Thiruvathirai Kali
Thiruvathirai Kali
Ingredients:


Raw Rice1 Cup
Grated Jaggery1 1/2 Cup
Water3 Cups
Moong dal2 tablespoon
Cardamom4
Grated Coconut4 tablepsoon
Cashews6
Ghee2 tablespoon
Salta pinch


Thiruvathirai Kali
Thiruvathirai Kali

Method:
  1. Wash the raw rice in a water and rinse it. Immediately after rinsing put the rinsed rice in a Kadaai and fry it until the rice becomes golden brown color.

  2. Grind the Raw Rice in a mixer and the rice powder should be like Rawa. Take the contents in a bowl. Put the moongdhal in the kadaai and fry it till it becomes golden brown color

  3. Pour one cup of water to cook the dhal. It will take approximately 5 minutes to cook. The dhal need not cook completely. It should be in half boiled consistency. If you take one of the dhal and press it with your fingers, then it should get smashed. This is the right consistency. While the dhal is getting cooked, you can prepare the jaggery juice in parallel.
  4. Heat another pan, add water (till the jaggery immersed in the water completely) and add grated jaggery. 

  5. When the jaggery dissolves completely in water, strain it to remove dust and sand particles. Keep the strained jaggery juice in a separate bowl

  6. Once the dhal is almost cooked, pour two cups water, strained jaggery juice and a pinch of salt.
  7. When the jaggery mixture begins to boil, add the powdered rice and stir well to avoid bumps. (like we do for the preparation of upma)

  8. Powder the cardamon and add it along with the grated cocunut.
  9. Fry the cashews in the ghee and add to the kali. Add the remaining ghee to the kali and stir it one.

  10. Keep the flame low and allow it to cook in low flame for 5 minutes and then remove from flame

  11. The yummy Kali is ready for Neivedhyam
  12. Thiruvathirai Kali
    Thiruvathirai Kali

Please click the link below for Thiruvathirai Thalagam
Related posts for Thiruvathirai
      
 परोपकाराय फलन्ति वृक्षा: परोपकाराय वहन्ति नद्यः।

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