It is Shivratri. This is the festival of Shiva one of the three main deity gods in the Hindu pantheon. It is believed that Shiva saved the universe from darkness and ignorance.
The celebration starts very early morning and continues through the day and night. Shiva temples are flocked by devotees, young and old, who come to perform the traditional Shivalinga worship (puja) and hence hope for favours (a boon) from the God.
There is a constant stream of colour passing by, which becomes a trickle before gaining force again. Group after group, family after family are making their way to their favourite temple. There is a ritualistic bathe, a cleansing which is a rite of purification. Everyone then puts on their finest clean clothes for the pilgrimage to the temple. In Rajasthan that means colour. No one else can pull off the colour and pattern combinations that Rajasthani's wear. Especially the tribals. The women glide in colour as their sari's billow in the breeze. Colour flows into colour as family groups walk together sharing the road with traffic and livestock. Young children tag behind. There are not too many men, their celebration is more towards evening, where a vigil is kept at the temple.
One in the group is carry a pot of water or milk to the temple to bathe the Shivalinga. This is a simple statue representing the male form. The stone pillar sits central, within a base with a spout at the front. Near the temples the air is heavy with fragrant incense and reverberates with the sound of bells and shouts. Devotees circulate the lingam or temple housing it, three or seven times, and then pour water or milk over it, blessing the liquid, making the run off, holy.
The Shiva Lingum has vermillion paste applied after it has been bathed which symbolises virtue. In turn the temple priest places a vermillion tilak centre forehead between the eyes of each worshipper. The rest of the day is celebration and rest. It is a holy day and therefore a holiday. Children play and male youth and young men find a space to play cricket, with games often competing for the same use of space. The games appear age wise, boys, youth, men. The river of colour flows back to houses and disappears, only to be replaced by another equally vibrant flow.
The celebration starts very early morning and continues through the day and night. Shiva temples are flocked by devotees, young and old, who come to perform the traditional Shivalinga worship (puja) and hence hope for favours (a boon) from the God.
There is a constant stream of colour passing by, which becomes a trickle before gaining force again. Group after group, family after family are making their way to their favourite temple. There is a ritualistic bathe, a cleansing which is a rite of purification. Everyone then puts on their finest clean clothes for the pilgrimage to the temple. In Rajasthan that means colour. No one else can pull off the colour and pattern combinations that Rajasthani's wear. Especially the tribals. The women glide in colour as their sari's billow in the breeze. Colour flows into colour as family groups walk together sharing the road with traffic and livestock. Young children tag behind. There are not too many men, their celebration is more towards evening, where a vigil is kept at the temple.
One in the group is carry a pot of water or milk to the temple to bathe the Shivalinga. This is a simple statue representing the male form. The stone pillar sits central, within a base with a spout at the front. Near the temples the air is heavy with fragrant incense and reverberates with the sound of bells and shouts. Devotees circulate the lingam or temple housing it, three or seven times, and then pour water or milk over it, blessing the liquid, making the run off, holy.
The Shiva Lingum has vermillion paste applied after it has been bathed which symbolises virtue. In turn the temple priest places a vermillion tilak centre forehead between the eyes of each worshipper. The rest of the day is celebration and rest. It is a holy day and therefore a holiday. Children play and male youth and young men find a space to play cricket, with games often competing for the same use of space. The games appear age wise, boys, youth, men. The river of colour flows back to houses and disappears, only to be replaced by another equally vibrant flow.
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