Friday 24 October 2014

Bali Pratipada


The Fourth day is of Diwali festival Padwa or Govardhan pooja or Bali Pratipada 

(Prati=opponent, Pada=foot) also known asVarshapratipada which marks the coronation of King Vikramaditya and Vikaram-Samvat (Hindu Calendar) was started from this Padwa day. 
As the legend goes the people of Gokul used to celebrate a festival in honor of Lord Indra and worshipped him after the end of every monsoon season but one particular year the young Krishna stopped them from offering prayers to Lord Indra who in terrific anger sent a deluge to submerge Gokul. But Krishna saved Gokul by lifting up the Govardhan mountain and holding it over the people as an umbrella.
Govardhan is a small hillock in Braj, near Mathura and on this day of Pratipada people of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar build cowdung, hillocks, decorate them with flowers and then worship them.This day is also observed as Annakoot meaning mountain of food. People are awake the whole night and cook fifty-six or 108 different types of food for the bhog (the offering of food) to Krishna.
Balipadyami or Bali Pratipada is the day on which 'Bali' is worshiped. When Vishnu was born as vamana (the dwarf), he crushed Bali into the under world. Then Prahlada, the grandfather of Bali pleaded Vishnu to pardon Bali. Then Bali was made the king of the under world. Read more...