Mangalore: City Welcomes New Year with Joy, Devotion

Pics: Savitha B R
Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore

Mangalore, Apr 4: The first day of the Hindu lunar calendar was celebrated in temples across the city with much devotion, faith and joy on Monday April 4.

Ugadi rituals were observed at Kalikamba temple in Car Street and Kordabbu temple in Kudkorigudda, Pumpwell. Devotees gathered in large numbers to seek divine blessings on this auspicious day.

At Kordabbu temple, Arya Samaj celebrated Ugadi in a special manner, with a Gayatri Yagna with dalits, under the supervision of Sri Sri Sri Esha Vittaladasa Samiji of Sandeepini Mutt, Kemaru. He later honoured three achievers from the community. 

Arya Samaj leaders Purushotham Shetty, Dharmendra, Praveen Valke and others were present.

Ugadi, the beginning of the New Year, is the first day of ‘Chaitra’, the first month of ‘Khara’ Samvatsara (year). Ugadi is the time to take head bath, wear new clothes, worship the gods and consume neem leaves along with jaggery to signify necessity to welcome both trying times and occasions to celebrate with a balanced mind.

People clean up their houses including the puja room in advance for Ugadi. On Ugadi, they get up early, take head bath, and decorate the front door of the houses with fresh mango leaves. They visit the temples, offer puja to the deities, and accept the mixture of neem leaves and jaggery as Prasadam. The people of Karnataka coast normally cook Kadabu (Idli batter cooked in shapes woven out of jackfruit leaves), podi, and curry of coccinia and tender cashew.

Ugadi is predominatly celebrated in Karnataka, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. In Andhra Pradesh, normally people follow Sauramana Ugadi. In Maharashtra state, Ugadi is known by the name, ‘Gudipadwa’. On Ugadi day, predictions for the coming year are made, and Panchanga (Hindu calendar) giving details of auspicious occasions and bad periods, are read out by temples by the priests.