Navratri Golu Decorations - Ideas and Tips

Hi friends
can anyone please tell me wht am i supposed to do if i get chums during the navratri days im gonna display dolls mine is irregular periods....... whether i can ask my hubby to do the pooja or pl suggest me.....................

thanks and regards
vidya

 

questions on navarathiri

hi everybody,

i am currently living in kuwait . i saw all your conversation on navarathiri. i was born and bought up in middle east and never got to make a golu or even to c a golu for i never got to go to india during navrathiri time. i just see golus in picture and it is very fascinating. currently i am with my husband and i want to take part in navrathiri i want to do something for navrathiri atleast pray regularly and chant some slogas. i also like to make golu but unfortunately i didn't bring ganesh bommai and all from india is there anyway i can make golu without this or is there any substitute like for eg can i keek ganesh picture other dolls i can get . what else i can do. should we pray and make sundal morning itself or can we make afternoon . should we fast if so how like when should we eat . eat only once in a day. think my questions are silly but please help for i dont know much. is there any specfic shloka that we should tell during navrathiri what elso should we do during navrathiri

 

Re: questions on navarathiri

Raji,

Check in the following threads in IL and you will get all answeres for all your questions.

1. Puja formats by Chitvish
2. What are your plans for Navaratri
3. Navaratri dos and donts.


You can keep kolu with the dolls you have. Morning make some payasam and in the evening make the sundals and give it to all those who you invite. You need to give vethalai, pakku, manjal and Kumkum (if possible a small mirror and a small comb) with a small gift.

Hope I am a bit helpful.

 

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[FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif]Navratri Kolu[/FONT]

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In Southern states of Tamil Nadu and to a lesser extent in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, the festival of Navrathri is called Kolu or Navratri Golu, where women set up decorated planks in a corner of the house and decorating it with dolls which are collected over the years. The origin of the word Kolu can be traced to Tamil Kolu or Telugu Koluvai, which means a sovereign sitting in his royal durbar. As per belief the concept of arranging these Navrathri dolls on the plank is to depict that Goddess Mahishasuramardini is sitting in her Kolu, prior to the slaying of the demon Mahishasura.
The dolls are only decorated during these ten days but the collection of dolls may have started over years. These dolls can be very simple to very complicated ones as per ones likes. Every year women enthusiastically arrange these dolls as per their tastes. They either remodify the existing dolls with some new additions or they add couple of new dolls to the existing stacks to decorate the plank every year.
These Navratri dolls are arranged in several tiers. Maximum no of tiers in which dolls are arranged are 9 depending on time and space constraints.
Steps 1-3: These steps are dedicated to— are devoted to the Gods. So all the different idols of various Gods are arranged here. The kumbham or the ceremonial jar for holy water, which is a conical vessel, is filled with fresh water. A silk cloth covers the mouth of the vessel, a coconut and mango leaves are placed on top of it. This is kept on the first step.
Steps 4-6: The next three steps are devoted to saints like Sai Baba, great men like Swami Vivekananda, demigods and even national leaders who have sacrificed their lives for the country.
Steps 7: Various sets such as the marriage set and pongal set, which signify the various human activities, are placed on the seventh step.
Steps 8: The eighth step is devoted to various businesses and crafts, say the Chettiar dolls (equivalent of Sethji)—a businessman and his wife are placed and their commodities like rice, pulses in cups and other utensils are kept in front of them.
Step 9: The ninth step is the last stage where the traditional wooden dolls called Marapachi — the male and female dolls that are dressed in colorful and shining clothes — are placed. Dolls of animals, birds, reptiles and other forms of evolution are also kept on this step.
On the 10th night after the ceremonial arti and prayers, the dolls are put to ‘sleep.’ And the next day, the exhibits are packed carefully in cloth or paper and preserved for use the next year. Another novel trend is the concept of `community kolus’, when many women, unable to keep kolu in their homes, join hands and put up a Navratri kolu in a common place.
Arranging Navrathri Kolu is also an event in itself it means inviting neighbors, friends and other relatives to visit your home and view the Kolu decorated. Pleasantries and small gifts are exchanged amongst women generally women exchange coconuts, cloths and sweets amongst themselves. Sumangali (married) women also exchange bags containing a small mirror, turmeric, comb, beetle leaves with supari.
An article on Navarathri golu
I am just posting this for the benifit of Ilites who wants to start golu for the first time.
Love,
Pushpavalli

 

Hello Vidya,

For anyone, that is a common problem; if yr hub has time, he can do the pooja or the least, let him do the neivedhyam both day and time becoz, my mom always says that we should not let starve The God/Goddess in general and now, it is navarathiri, a very auspicious day, can do that which is my opinion.

 

Navarathri season,singing

Dear Indus ladies
Can someone give me hints on what to sing for kolu,even if it is a sloka or a website.

Any ideas for giveways for navarathri.I dont keep kolu but call women.
I am sure Chitra will have ideas.:wave :clap

 

Re: Navarathri season,singing

Hi

As far as navarathiri is concerned, we can sing any songs about krishna, rama,vishnu,siva,devi,ganesha or any other... which ever u know

For giving u can make sundal, as gifts-- u can give some manjal,kumkum packets (see that it is available or not)... or any small and useful items like small purses,plates,cups or any thing will is useful. For small kids like play things, books, sloga books.

Celebrate this navarathiri with lots of praying, and u will get the blessings.

Regards

Revathi

 

Dear Friends,
The following is the list of ideal flowers for puja ( if available) for Navarathri.
First three days - Red, yello, blue colour flowers like sevvarali, javanthi etc
Second three days: Vilvan, rose, pink lotus, shenbakam
Last three days: Mullai, malli, nandiavattai, white lotus, thulasi

Navarathri Naivedyams:

First set:
First three days:
Lemon saadam
Til (seasame seed) saadam
Curd rice
Second three days:
Sakkarai pongal
Paal saadam
Kalkandu saadam
Last three days:
Venpongal
Pal saadam
Kalkandu saadam
+
Panakam + any sundal everyday

Sarasvathi pujai - black channa sundal
Vijayadasami - milk with sugar

OR

Second Set:

First day (pradamai) - Kothukadalai sundal (black channa)
Second day - Whole moong ( an make sundal or payasam)
Third day - Coconut ( can be offered broken or made into burfi)
Fourth day - Pomegranate – the fruit can be offered as whole or seeds removed
Fifth day - Lemon – offer as juice or lemon rice
Sixth day - Jaggery & rice – offer as sakkarai pongal
Seventh day - Ksheeraannam - milk+rice+sugar
Eighth day - Ven pongal
Ninth day - Rice with whole green moong (make like pongal)
Tenth day - curd rice

Love,
Chithra.

 

Re: Navarathri season,singing

hi lalitha,

You can sing lot of devi krithis..

http://www.carnatica.net/special/navaratrikritis.htm

more....

Mamavathu sri saraswathi....hindolam
mamava sada janani - kanada.
amba nee -
amba neeerangayenil--atana
sri chakra raja.....ragamalika
Jagathjanani - ratipatipriya,
naan oru vilayatu bommaiyya-navarasa kanada..

the list goes on...will post more if you want................

 

Thanks a lot, Mrs.C..

Can you also tell me keeping the avatarams in order? Like kalki comes last and which comes first, second...

Pls take yr time..

Rgds.