Wednesday, November 11, 2015

Govardhan Puja | Mha Puja : 4th day of Tihar

The fourth day of Tihar is Goru Puja, Govardhan Puja, Mha Puja and Nepal Sambat. Govardhan Puja is celebrated as the day Krishna defeated Indra by lifting the Govardhan hill.


Nepal is mostly an agricultural country so oxen are considered important animals as they help in ploughing the fields. That is why on this day they are worshiped with tika, garland and offered nice food. Also this day small hillocks made out of cow dung is worshiped.

History
It is believed that once there was a drought in a village in Vridavan. The villagers were very worried and they wanted to perform a big Puja in honour of Lord Indra, the God of rain. But Lord Krishna convinced them that, they should not pray to Lord Indra since it was the Mount Govardhan that brought the rain and not Lord Indra. This made Lord Indra very angry and in his wrath he sent forth a big thunderstorm to flood the village. Lord Krishan lifted the Mount Govardhan as an umbrella above the village to protect the villagers and their cattle from the rain and flood.

Mha Puja
In newari language (Newa), “Mha” means body. On this day the Newa people worship their inner self in the evening by worshipping themselves. They believe that the soul never dies and our body is only a vehicle and so we need to understand and respect our body as it is the chosen vehicle for this incarnation. This Puja is believed to bring prosperity and physical well-being.




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