Gowri Ganesh 2025

From my childhood days I have always loved Ganapathi pooja. From visiting temples to putting thoppu karnam (for 108 times) in aim of our dreams desire gets sanctioned by him. Ganesha is always close to my heart my favourite idol I frequently worshiped.

During ganesh chaturthi I used to visit Trichy rockfort Temple. Those golden childhood memories are still green in my mind. Me n my sister alone used to climb steps that faster even our parents may not accompany all the time.... missing those days.

This year got to know new customs from one of my neighbour as they celebrated Gowri Pooja yesterday, they follow a custom of inviting Maa Gowri before ganesha chaturthi every year. I could feel a close connection between ganesha birthday story and this custom. Felt as a special message from ganesha himself. Because Maa Parvathi who gave birth to Lord Ganesha, first in human face ,later Lord Shiva angrily axed Ganesha head and later regretted replaced with an elephant head.

Also I remember how a giant 32 feet Viswarooba Vinayagar procession celebrated in my in laws town Nagapattinam that day. Few links for your view.

https://nagaitemples.blogspot.com/2012/09/2012-1.html?m=1

https://nagaitemples.blogspot.com/2024/09/2024.html?m=1

My Ganesha drawing 1996

Elder son 's Ganesha 

Younger son's Ganesha

Both me and sons always when we wanted to draw and colour, we chose Ganesh special god multiple times, we still have those first drawings. Both my elder son Sukarman and younger son Mithran draw it seperately. Mithran got even praise prize in school for his creativity. I still have my school days drawing Ganesha copy and one after marriage, both are very good,maintained.

Both my son's helping making kozhukattai 

Without pooran dumpling it wouldn't be completely told. Always my son's come to help prepare that kozhukattai especially they interested in closing the pooran in the choppu😊 younger wants to finish his task that day by rolling mani kozhukattai as well. His favourite always. We all did learn from my grandmother Akilandaam patti and my mother. Our tricks and patham expertise all their😌s.

Few years back we visited Ganesha exhibition @chromepet Radhanagar organised by a Ganesha devotee, a must visit place, where thousands of Vinayagar were displayed for a week after Vinayagar chathurthi.Kids were excited to see many so many forms and sizes of Ganesha ji. We were not allowed to take pictures inside but captured those moments in hearts.I just clicked one in the entrance.

During Navaratri festival we engage kids who visit our Golu with spot instantaneous quiz to count number of Ganesha in our home golu, we offer a special gift for active participation of kids.For their surprise every year the count multifold.

Happily carrying Ganesha ji

In the end I want to mention the tradition happening in my native place Manakkal Agraharam. It is a 😍 village near Lalgudi with a Shiva temple and perumal temple. children from those streets gather and visit house ask for small. donation to prepare their Lord Ganesha celebrity version and they prepare a lord Ganesha take it as procession in our streets and we do pooja when they bring it lot of small children also bring theirs in separate teams. Multiple such will be brought with all music instruments played. It is done in such a way even elders will like to join them. It is admirable act by the village children. Every year it is done with dedication and devotion. We take our archanai thattu to them when they come before our house. They will do all similar to Gurukkal, deeparathanai and return us Prasad. Jai Ganesha.🙏🕉️

Ganesha is more powerful and holds some special importance in everyone of our lives in unique ways. One need to enjoy his omni presence without expectations,as he is always ready to shower his bountiful blessings on us.His Rupam signifies various tatvams that we can practice every day.

Kovai Diaries!!!!

During this summer holidays we visited coimbatore with family to attend a marriage at annai katty. It happened in a resort so we booked our tickets and planned our stay in tai farm.

We had a very good climate and peaceful stay away from our daily busy running schedules.We woke up relaxed in a calm environment with birds chirping amidst jungle feel stay. It got reminded of me Jurassic park movie as all homes protected with electric fence bcoz tuskers often visits them. 

Somehow it was beautiful scenic feel around us. 

We attended wedding and had a pleasant stay in our cottage.

More peacocks were there near our cottage 

My elder son writing his school works enjoying cool breeze.Although many dense trees and stream nearby no mosquitos disturbed so he happily sat outside our cottage to do his work.

My younger son enjoying sitting on a hammock, that was his long time desire. As he watches most of his cartoon characters enjoy taking a nap on hammock. 

A very big banyan tree we saw near our farm stay.

A panaromic view of near by place

Panaromic view of nirvana resort -where we attended marriage.

Third day we went to PSG GRD Science Museum.Both sons enjoyed seeing working model of many science experiments with  explanation given by headphones. That experience was really amazing, we ourselves learnt many new things and I felt excited to see science experiments. I need to write about it in a separate blog. 

Later in the evening,we visited Adiyogi and dhyana linga.

Our visit to dhyana linga was so divine and we happened to be there for silent Pooja done at dhyana linga. Inside dhyana linga there was complete silence. I could feel powerful vibe inside,even my son's sat there for long time quietly. I understood silent prayers and offerings are more powerful.

We then had some refreshments in the canteen, those food were satvic and coffee really tasted excellent. We came out and saw laser show on Adiyogi that was really wonderful,we all enjoyed seeing it. After the show we started to railway station for our return journey.

We really enjoyed our trip.....way to go...........

Singaperumal Temple

 Patalathri Narasimha temple 

Living in chennai since 2001 but I happened to visit singaperumal Temple only this new year 2025.

We planned to visit on new year day. We started by 9 am and reached temple. There was heavy traffic on road. Parking vehicle was very tough as the queue started from outside road. Some how parked vehicle and joined queue for darshan. It took almost two hours to reach outside entrance of temple. Later got to know about special darshan ticket we got that entered that queue still it took further one hour to see perumal darshan and ambal darshan.

While waiting on queue my DH and younger son chanted their humming lines for perumal 

Narasimha,Narasimha, patalathri Narasimha!!

Felt blessed to visit on new year day. But both my kids got tired and if I ask them next time if we can go to singaperumal Temple they would immediately say no as waiting line and time would definitely make them reply that way.

Then we had prasadam at temple. Perumal temple is famous for puliyodharai and podi dosa we don't want to miss it .

If we visit this temple for 9 Saturdays we get blessings from perumal. "நாளை என்பது நரசிம்மருக்கு இல்லை" so if we wish to visit or offer our prayers we should never have second thoughts on it, this words written in temple are very true. Nethra darshan of perumal is very famous here. We can see nethra darshan and chant "govinda govinda" and offer our prayers to Lord Vishnu and Mahalaxmi thayar.

Also this temple is famous for girivalam.

Om Namo Narayana!!!!!!

20 years of celebrating Varalakshmi Pooja

 Varalakshmi pooja 2025

This blog is specially dedicated to Varalakshmi nombu......I got married on July 2006 and that year Varalakshmi pooja came on aadi month. As that was married year I took that vratham from my mother in law's home at Nagapattinam.

Both in my home and in laws home had practice of celebrating Varalakshmi nombu. I usually love decorating amman face on kalasam. Before marriage in my mother home we used to invite amman the day before Pooja. But in my in-laws home they do neivdhyam of sweet and ven pongal and keep ready with all alankarams and then morning before Pooja we invite amman to our home. 

This year Aug 8th 2025 we celebrated nombu at our home. Below is the picture of ambal alankarams before and after Pooja.

As my kids had school I did pooja earlier in the morning and did neivedhyam before my kids started to school. All Poojas have preperation list of to do things as usual and we need to do with utmost care to get divine blessings for our family.

Praying ashtalakshmi's on this auspicious day give us plentiful of happiness and satisfaction.

That afternoon and evening invited few friends for thambolam. Next day performed punar pooja in the morning. Later that night we used to keep ambal inside our rice container. On Sunday morning everyone in our home worship ambal once they wake up and thank her for this year pooja and request her visit every succeeding years to bless our family with good health and prosperity 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏