Choodi Puja is performed in worship of
the Tulasi plant and in worship of the main entrance of the home. A series of
rituals that is performed by married women belonging to the Gowda Saraswath
Brahmin GSB community is known as the Choodi Puja. Tulasi plant gained
importance after the Puraana was written. In the Puraana(s) the Tulasi plant is
considered to be a sacred plant and gives strength and courage to the people
who worship it. It was well known that Tulasi plant had medicinal values. But
the information that the Tulasi plant has power to resolve problems in the
house and the family was new. The
main ritual involves arrangement of flowers and herbs in a small bundle.
Usually a bundle includes four to five flowers, darba grass and two or three
herbs. Locally available herbs and flowers are used to prepare the choodi. Some
of the common flowers and herbs used include Ratnagandhi, Shanka Pushpa, darba
grass, Gauri Pushpa etc.
The flowers are arranged in an artistic manner. First
Tulasi puja is offered. Next is worship of the sun. The freshly prepared
Choodi is offered to Tulsi Next a puja is performed at the doorstep of the
house and this is followed by a puja in the puja room.
A
sweet and delicious mixture of puffed rice, jaggery and coconut is prepared on
the day of choodi pooja and offered. Many others prepare panchakajjaya which is
a mixture of five ingredients.
GSB
women perform Choodi Puja every Friday and every Sunday till the end of the
month. The previous day the women make preparations for the Puja. To construct
the choodi(s), women collect the specified flowers and darba grass (sacred
grass plants), which are bound, into a tiny bouquet. This bouquet is
called the "choodi". It is about 3 inches in length and about one
half inch in diameter at its tie.
The specified flowers are those, which grow only in Shraavana month following rains in the previous Aashaada month of the rainy season. The darba grass also sprouts in the ground at this time. Darbankur (sprout of darba grass) is one of the essential requisites to tie the choodi(s) for Puja. About 10 choodi(s) are constructed. In large families more choodi(s) are needed for distribution among the women members. The married woman performs the Puja at her home all by herself. There are no invitees only the members who live in the house could attend the Puja. All the choodi(s) are placed in a tray in front of the idol or portrait of Goddess Lakshmi. An oil lamp is lighted. The Hindus are the only people in the world who use these special lamps. They are designed and manufactured in kilns of brass metal works. They have a round base, a shaft and a top round shallow bowl with five beaks. There are oil lamps of many sizes. The ones used at home for small functions such as the Choodi Puja are about 8 inches in height and their top oil bowls are about 4 inches in diameter. Each beak in the oil bowl can accommodate a cotton wick. These wicks are soaked in cooking oil such as peanut, coconut, cottonseed, palm, mustard or olive oil. The tips of the wicks are lighted using a matchstick. They glow well and look beautiful giving extra grandeur to the scene. Then both Goddess Lakshmi and the choodi(s) are worshipped by performing the Puja to them, first by applying Kumkum and Haldi powder and then waving an aarathi.
The specified flowers are those, which grow only in Shraavana month following rains in the previous Aashaada month of the rainy season. The darba grass also sprouts in the ground at this time. Darbankur (sprout of darba grass) is one of the essential requisites to tie the choodi(s) for Puja. About 10 choodi(s) are constructed. In large families more choodi(s) are needed for distribution among the women members. The married woman performs the Puja at her home all by herself. There are no invitees only the members who live in the house could attend the Puja. All the choodi(s) are placed in a tray in front of the idol or portrait of Goddess Lakshmi. An oil lamp is lighted. The Hindus are the only people in the world who use these special lamps. They are designed and manufactured in kilns of brass metal works. They have a round base, a shaft and a top round shallow bowl with five beaks. There are oil lamps of many sizes. The ones used at home for small functions such as the Choodi Puja are about 8 inches in height and their top oil bowls are about 4 inches in diameter. Each beak in the oil bowl can accommodate a cotton wick. These wicks are soaked in cooking oil such as peanut, coconut, cottonseed, palm, mustard or olive oil. The tips of the wicks are lighted using a matchstick. They glow well and look beautiful giving extra grandeur to the scene. Then both Goddess Lakshmi and the choodi(s) are worshipped by performing the Puja to them, first by applying Kumkum and Haldi powder and then waving an aarathi.
The
choodi(s) and the oil lamp are then taken to the Tulasi katte located outside, in the front yard of the house, where
flowers are mounted on the branches of the plant. Haldi and Kumkum are applied
to the tulasi. The plant is watered and one choodi is placed on a branch and another
on the monument. Now an aarathi is waved to the plant as well as the monument.
This concludes the Tulasi Puja. Now the woman returns to the entrance of the
house and sits in front of the door. The door remains open. She places a choodi on each side of the ledge or sill of the door. Then she waves an aarathi
to the choodi(s) and the door. Then she offers a choodi to GANGA MATHA (well) and also the sky. This concludes Choodi Puja for the day. The
choodi(s) have to be distributed to the female relatives and female friends. Those
who live nearby and within the same town as the woman, get the choodi in person.
Relatives living in faraway places get the choodi by posts. The choodi pooja also symbolises the everlating bond of love and respect between husband and wife and also the bondage between the relatives. The small children will actively participate in this by playing with Jagant..
GANESH NAYAK
ganeshprasadsys@gmail.com
Here are some of the snaps of Choodi's
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