N.T.H.M. PUJA GUIDE

This guide is designed to simplify and make this process consistent.
At N.T.H.M., yajmaans are highly encouraged.
1. Please notify the executive member coordinating the specific puja at least one week prior to the desired date. This is required to avoid any conflicts that may occur and to ensure that someone is available and has prepared to perform the puja.
2. After you have made your reservation, look below to find the specific instructions that will be required and a list of items required for puja.

Murti Puja

Murti Puja is one of the core concepts and in base of Sanatana Dharma. The literal meaning of Murti is appearance, something that has taken concrete form. A Murti usually is a concrete shape, having features attributed to the god-form. These are usually the physical attributes of the deity as described in scriptures. Murti Puja is performed every Sunday morning and is always encouraged to do at least once a year.

Bedi Puja

In every religion, an altar is used to propitiate the gods and goddesses. In puja, the Bedi is the altar of worship, representing the altar of the heart. Just as puja materials are offered on the bedi, so too we must imprint purity of thoughts in our mind, and a positive personality in the altar of our hearts. Hindu philosophy states that the altar of worship is really the universe in which all actions, duties and obligations are offerings to God.

Durga Puja

Durga Puja, also called Durgotsava, is performed on a Friday of every month. It originated in the Indian subcontinent which reveres and pays homage to the Hindu goddess, Durga.

Vasant Panchami

Vasant Panchami is the festival dedicated to goddess Saraswati who is their goddess of knowledge, language, music and all arts. It is a festival that marks the preparation for the arrival of spring. The festival is celebrated by people in various ways depending upon the region in the life in the Indian subcontinent. Vasant Panchami also marks the start of preparation for Holi, which take place forty days later.

Maha Shivraatri

Maha Shivraatri is a Hindu festival celebrated annually in honor of Lord Shiva. Shivraatri is celebrated on the day when Lord Shiva saved the world by drinking poison that emerged from the ocean during Samudra Manthan. This poison got stored in his throat thus making it blue which is the reason that Lord Shiva is also known as Neelkanth, which means “blue throat”.

Navraatri

Navraatri is a Hindu festival that spans nine nights and is celebrated every year in the autumn and the spring. The festival is associated to the prominent battle that took place between Durga and demon Mahishasura and celebrates the victory of Good over Evil. These nine days are solely dedicated to Goddess Durga and her nine Avatars – the Navadurga. Each day is associated to an incarnation of the goddess.

Hanuman Jayanti

Hanuman Jayanti is celebrated to commemorate the birth of Lord Hanuman who is also considered to be one of the incarnations of Lord Shiva. It is celebrated on Purnima (full moon day) during the Chaitra month.

Krishna Janmashtami

Krishna Janmashtami, also known simply as Janmashtami or Gokulashtami, is an annual Hindu festival that celebrates the birth of Krishna, the eighth avatar of Vishnu.

Ganesh Chaturti

Ganesh Chaturthi, also known as Vinayaka Chaturthi, is a Hindu festival celebrating the arrival of Ganesh to earth from Kailash Parvat with his mother Goddess Parvati/Gauri.