Onam Festivity Begins In Prasanthi Nilayam…
Saturday, September 2nd, 2017
Kerala’s prestigious harvest festival “Onam” that marks the annual homecoming of the mythical Emperor Mahabali is back. Devotees from the State are in Prasanthi Nilayam to celebrate the final three days of the festivity, Pooradam, Uthradam and Thiruvonam as per the vernacular calendar, in the immediate Divine OmniPresence. As per the tradition back in Kerala, Uthradam is considered as first Onam followed by Thiru Onam or Thiruvonam, the main festive day.
Onam is the biggest and the most important festival of the State of Kerala, celebrated by all communities with secular feelings beyond religious boundaries. It is supposedly the harvest festival of the State and is celebrated with joy and enthusiasm. Thiru Onam is the day when Keralites, as per the legend, welcoming their erstwhile Emperor Mahabali, whose story is tagged with the story of Lord Vamana. The Emperor, shunning his ego, while returning to the neither world as per the command of Lord Vamana, was blessed with a boon to return to the State once in a year, and this “Return of the Emperor enquiring after the wellbeing of the subjects” is celebrated throughout the State as Onam, a celebration that spans for ten days.
Commencing the three-day programme in the immediate Divine OmniPresence Of Beloved Bhagawan, blossoming musical duo Mahalakshmi Sisters, Kum. Parvathi Narayanan and Pooja Narayanan presented a devotional session this morning at the Sanctum Sanctorum in Prasanthi Nilayam. The duo opened up this morning with offering obeisance to the Primal Guru, Lord Dakshinamoorthi singing a stanza from Dakshinamoorthi Strotram followed by twin Carnatic numbers, a Jai Ganesh number singing Vatapi Ganapatim… and Nadatanumanisam...
As the session flowed on, the sisters sang for the next half-an-hour with great devotional vigour presenting a mix of devotionals, Hey Shyama Sundara…famed Sai bhajan, Kurai Ondrum Illai…, Onnu Thirujonnu Nokkane Swami in Malayalam, Shankara Nadasareera Para… to name some of them.
Ambalapuzha Pradeep on Violin and Kallaikkulangara P. Unnikrishnan on Mridangam accompanied the sisters this morning.
As bhajans continued, the artistes along with accompanists were felicitated and the session ended with Mangala Arathi to Bhagawan.
II Samastha Lokah Sukhino Bhavantu II
Posted in Prasanthi News |
