Mangalore: Ayudha Puja - Equipment, Vehicles Worshipped with Fervour

Pics: Spoorthi Ullal
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore

Mangalore, Oct 23: Ayudha Puja was offered in the city on Tuesday October 23 with great devotion and vigour, marking the ninth day of Navaratri.

People took a day off from work and thanked the lord for helping them fulfil their duties with the help of vehicles, tools and equipment.

Machinery, vehicles, equipment and tools are cleaned, painted decorated with flowers and worshipped. Priests visit various places offering pujas. Goddesses Saraswati, Lakshmi and Parvati are worshipped on this day.

Equipment like computers, cameras, agricultural tools and virtually everything that one uses to earn one's livelihood is blessed and worshipped on this day.

The custom of Ayudha Puja traces its origin to the times when royals worshipped their weapons before a war on Vijaya Dashami, the tenth day of Navaratri. The ninth day of Navaratri is also celebrated as Navami Puja in north India.

It is also said that after annihilating the demons in nine days, Goddess Durga kept aside her weapons, as their work was over, and worshipped them. Legend has it that Arjuna took down the weapons hid by Pandavas in a tree before moving on their mandated period of exile, after the completion of this period, on this day, and worshipped them before starting to use them.

Ayudha Puja is performed not only as a thanksgiving, but also to ward off any evil that may cause harm or injury during the coming year. The day is celebrated by bursting crackers. It is a day of rest for both man and machine.