Kartik Purnima 2018

Kartik Purnima Date - 23rd November 2018(Friday). The time is from 12:53 on November 22 to 11:09 on November 23. 

About Kartik Purnima

Kartik Purnima, or Karthik Poornima, is the full moon day in the month of Kartik and it often marks the end of the Kartik month in traditional Hindu calendar. Kartik (October – November) is the eighth month in the traditional Hindi calendar and Marathi calendar and comes as the first month in the Gujarati Calendar. Kartik Purnima date is on November 23 2018. The day of Kartik Purnima is one of the important religious events for Hindus on Kartik Poornima day and you must take a dip or bath in River Ganga or other holy rivers on this day of Kartik Snaan. After dip in the holy ganges, devotees worship Goddess Laxmi and Lord Vishnu.

Killing of Tripurasura and Diwali of Gods

Kartik Purnima is observed as the Diwali of the Gods or the Dev Diwali. Tripurasura created 3 cities in space and called them together Tripura.Lord Shiva killed demon Tripurasura on this day of Kartik Purnima and thus this day is also known as Tripura Purnima and after this, Lord Shiva came to be known as "Tripurari".

Get 100 times more Punya on Kartik Purnima

People often can be seen on the pilgrimage all over the country and it is considered that if you do daan (donation) to poor, do worship gods and goddesses, do everything good, then you will get the 100 times more punya on the day of Kartik Purnima than on normal days equivalent to 10 Yajnas. Special pujas and rituals are performed in temples across the country and people also observe fast on Purnima day. The Kartik month along with four month long Chatur Maas and Akashdeep festival in Kashi concludes on this day of Kartik Purnima. Some communities also perform Tulsi Vivah and Tulsi Puja final day rituals end on the day which starts with Prabodhini Ekadashi.

Kartik Purnima Mela

Kartik Purnima Mela on the banks of Ganga River at Garh Mukteshwar is a great attraction with a million devotees. It is said that a mere darshan of River Ganga at Garh Mukteshwar will get one Moksha (salvation) and this bathing ritual in Garh Mukteshwar Bridge Ghat in Uttar Pradesh is taking place for more than 5000 years.

Bhishma Panchaka fasting started on Ekadashi day ends on the day of Kartik Purnima. Vaikuntha Chaturdashi fasting and Puja is performed on Chaturdashi Tithi i.e. one day before Kartik Purnima. Lord Vishnu worshipped Lord Shiva on the day of Kartik Chaturdashi during Shukla Paksha and offered Him one thousand lotus flowers. On Dev Deepawali or the day of Kartik Poornima, devotees light earthen lamps or Diya(s) in the evening. It is also believed that Lord Vishnu awoke on this day of Kartik Poornima after a long sleep and thus celebration of Dev-Deepawali.In Tamil Calendar, it is known as the Aani Purnima.

What To Do/Not to do on Kartik Poornima

You must not do any violence on this day. Hair cutting, shaving, tree cutting, flower and fruit plucking, crop cutting and sexual activities are prohibited on this day. Lamps are lit at temples and at homes for the entire night, as this is the day of illumination. People light 360 or 720 wicks on this day at the place of worship in hope of getting salvation after death. 720 wicks symbolize the 360 days and nights of the years. It's known as Kartika Diparatna People also light diyas near the holy Tulsi plant, Sacred Fig and Amla. It is believed that this light of lamps help other creatures like fishes, birds and insects in attaining salvation by seeing the holy light.

Kartik Poornima is also known as the birthday of Matsya (incarnation of Lord Vishnu as fish) and the birthday of Vrinda (personification of Tulsi plant). Kartikeya, the son of Lord Shiva and Parvati was also born on this day of Kartik Pournami. The day is also dedicated to the dead ancestors, known as Pitr.

Wish you all Happy Kartik Purnima 2018!

Guru Purnima 2018

Guru Purnima Date - 27th July(Friday) in 2018

Guru Purnima or Vyasa Purnima Significance

Guru Purnima, also known as Vyasa Purnima, is celebrated by the Hindus and the Buddhists. On this auspicious day the Buddhists honour Lord Buddha who had given his first sermon at Sarnath. The Hindus, however, mark the importance of this day by honouring the wise sage Vyasa as per the ancient Hindu traditions. The significance of Guru Purnima lies in the belief that the study of the scriptures commenced on this day.

Guru Purnima Celebration

Vyas Purnima is celebrated with great fanfare and devotion at various places, including the temple of Satya Sai Baba in Shirdi. The story of the life of Sage Ved Vyasa, along with famous quotes from the religious scriptures, is narrated in various cultural gatherings, where devotees and disciples gather to pay homage to the great life. This famous sage - Ved Vyas is believed to have composed the Hindu epic poetry Mahabharata and the Puranas. He is believed to be the original guru of the Hindu Dharma or religion.

Songs, Quotes, Wishes and messages to the loved one in the form of Guru Purnima greeting cards, the more prevalent e-cards nowadays, and SMS and phone calls, float around. The disciples offer their gurus garlands as a mark of respect and also bestow lavish gifts keeping in mind the purity and sincerity of the “guru-shishya parampara” or the teacher-disciple relationship.

“Gurur Brahma gurur Vishnu gurur devo Maheswarah
Gurur sakshat parambrahmah tasmi sri gurave namah”


Meaning of the above mantra

The Guru is Brahma
The Guru is Vishnu
The Guru is Shiva
My Salutations to such a Guru, who is the Supreme God

Those who do not have a guru, you can recite the following verse for Lord Shiva or Guru Dakshinamoorti, i.e., Lord Shiva as he is considered as the Guru of the whole universe.

Nidhaye sarva vidyanam bhishaje bhava roginam
Gurave sarvalokanam Dakshinamoortaye namah

Happy Guru Purnima 2018!

Gayatri Mata Jayanti 2018

Gayatri Jayanti Date - 23 June 2018 (Saturday)

Gayatri Jayanti is dedicated to Goddess Gayatri who is worshipped as Veda Mata or the mother of Vedas, Dev Mata and Vishwa Mata. A holy transcript says that Goddess Gayatri is considered as Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva and Vedas. Her four heads represents the four Vedas and fifth one represents the almighty and the Goddess Gayatri is seated on lotus. Goddess Gayatri, who is regarded as the Mother of all Vedas has ten hands and five heads. The ten hands of Goddess Gayatri have the Lord Vishnu symbols. Gayatri Mata is believed to be second consort of Lord Brahma.

The appearing of Goddess Gayatri on the 11th day of the Shukla Paksha of Jyeshta month marks the celebration of Gayatri Jayanti in the form of knowledge. It's religious importance lies in the fact that Sage Vishwamitra first uttered the Gayatri Mantra on the Gayatri Jayanti day and the knowledge was shared by Sage Vishwamitra to the world and thus it helped in removing ignorance.

Gayatri Jayanti is celebrated in respect of Aadi-shakti Gayatri. It is believed that whole Universe is originated by Goddess Gayatri. Special prayers, satsangs, bhajans and pujas are organised in honour of Maa Gayatri. Gayatri mantra is chanted in high spirits on this day of Gayatri Mantra.

Gayatri Mantra:

Om bhur bhuvah svah
Tat savitur varenyam
Bhargo devasya dheemahi
Dhiyo yo na prachodayaat.

Such is the importance and significance of Gayatri mantra that if one chants the Gayatri mantra then no other mantras are needed to be chanted because this mantra is highly sacred.

To achieve best results from the Gayatri mantra, a person needs to recite it thrice a day, preferably in the morning, afternoon and evening. Chanting the Gayatri mantra continously would help the chanter in facing the miseries and hardships of life.

Gayatri jayanti day is also celebrated as the day of Ganga Avataran or Ganga Dussehra.

History and Significance of the Gayatri Mantra

Gayatri Mantra is referred in the Rig Veda, written in Sanskrit about 2500 to 3500 years ago, and the Gayatri mantra was chanted for many centuries before that. Gayatri Mantra is chanted, meditated and sung around the world with reverence and love. As a gift from Sage Vishwamitra to all humanity, it is said that this sacred prayer travels through the entire universe from the heart of the person chanting the mantra, appealing for peace and divine wisdom for all.

Gayatri Mantra says "May the divine light of the Supreme Being illuminate our intellect, to lead us along a path of righteousness". According to the Vedas, "Chanting Gayatri Mantra purifies the chanter and listening to the Gayatri Mantra purifies the listener. The Gayatri Mantra touches not only the mind but also the soul and is considered as one of the most powerful ways to touching God. The word Gayatri is derived from the words: gaya, meaning “vital energies” and trâyate, meaning “preserves, protects, gives deliverance, grants liberation”. Thus the two words "Gayatri Mantra" might be translated as “a prayer of praise that awakens the vital energies and gives liberation and deliverance from ignorance”.

Gayatri Mantra in english means that "We meditate on the glory of the Creator; Who has created the Universe; Who is worthy of Worship; Who is the embodiment of Knowledge and Light; Who is the remover of Sin and Ignorance; May He open our hearts and enlighten our Intellect. This mantra when uttered properly create specific vibrations and powers of righteous wisdom. In the Hindu mythology, many sages gained spiritual powers with years of meditation chanting the Gayatri Mantra.

Nirjala Ekadashi 2018

Nirjala Ekadashi Date  - 23rd June 2018 (Saturday)

Nirjala Ekadashi Date in 2018 - 23rd June 2018

Nirjala Ekadashi is the most important and sacred Ekadashi among all the twenty four Ekadashis that comes in a year. Nirjala means without water and Nirjala Ekadashi fasting is observed without any food or water. As this fasting is Nirjala Ekadashi Vratam, it is the toughest among all Ekadashi's of the year due to a strict fasting rules. Nirjala Ekadashi and also all the Ekadashi's are dedicated to Lord Vishnu. While observing Nirjala Ekadashi fast, Vishnu devotees do not take food as well as water the whole day and the fast is only over the next day after ekadashi.

Nirjala Ekadashi Fast 2018

As this Nirjala Ekadashi fast is highly sacred, it is recommended to all the devotees that those who are not able to observe fast on all twenty four Ekadashi's of the year should definitely observe this single day of Nirjala Ekadashi fasting. It is a strong belief and is said that fasting on Nirjala Ekadashi gives all the benefits of twenty four Ekadashi fasting of the year.

Nirjala Ekadashi/Bhima/Pandava Ekadashi

Nirjala Ekadashi is also known as Pandava Ekadashi or Bhimseni or Bhima Ekadashi because of the legend associated with Pandavas and particularly Bhim. Bhimsen, the second brother among Pandava's could not control having food and thus was not able observe the strict Ekadashi fasting. All Pandava's Yudhishthir, Arjuna, Nakul and Shahdeva, along with their wife Draupadi and mother Kunti except Bhim observed all Ekadashi fasting of the year. Due to this, Bhima, got upset and thought that he was disrespecting Lord Vishnu. Bhima then went to met Sage Maharishi Vyasa for his advises and getting answers to his problem. Then Vyasa rishi suggested Bhima to observe the single Nirjala Ekadasi fasting and thus it acted as the compensation for not observing all Ekadashi's of the year. Thus, Nirjala Ekadashi also came to known as Bhimseni Ekadashi or Pandava Ekadashi.

Nirjala Ekadashi Importance/Significance of Nirjala Ekadashi

It is a strong belief that those who fast on this day of Nirjala Ekadashi are received by messengers from Vaikuntha, the abode of Vishnu, after death, and not by Yama, the god of death. It is also believed that Lord Vishnu transformed himself into Ekadashi to make all the humanity get rid of their sins.Observing this fast is equal to going to pilgrimage. The sins of this life and the previous one are considered burned by observing this fast. Nirjala Ekadasi fast helps in getting longevity, happiness, salvation, wealth, and prosperity with the blessings of Lord Vishnu. It is recommended not to fast on this day of Nirjala Ekadashi for those who are undergoing treatments or medications, if one can observe they can have fruits and milk, tea but not any form of atta or wheat and salt. It is a known fact that one should not eat rice on any ekadashi day including Nirjala Ekadasi.

Nirjala Ekadashi fasting falls on Shukla Paksha of Jyeshtha month particularly in month of May or June. Nirjala Ekadashi falls just after the Ganga Dussehra (which is the appearance or coming up of Maa Ganga on earth on this day). It is also possible that Ganga Dussehra and Nirjala Ekadashi might occur on the same day.

Rules of Ekadashi/Nirjala Ekadashi Fasting

Ekadashi fasting is over on next day of Ekadashi fast after sunrise. It is necessary to observe breaking of Ekadashi fast often known as Parana within Dwadashi Tithi unless Dwadashi is over before sunrise. Not observing Parana within Dwadashi is not seen good. Parana or breaking the ekadashi fast should not be done during Hari Vasara. If Hari Vasara period gets over, then only one should break the Nirjala Ekadashi fast. Hari Vasara is the period of first one fourth duration of Dwadashi Tithi. Pratahkal is regarded as the most preferred time to break the fast.One should also avoid breaking the fast during Madhyahna and if it's not possible to break ekadashi fasting during Pratahkal then it should be done after Madhyahna.

Things you can Do on Nirjala Ekadasi

• Offer prayers to Lord Vishnu early in the morning and also the whole day.
• Listen to Bhagavad Purana or chanting bhajans dedicated to Lord Vishnu
• Light a diya in front of Lord Vishnu and offer Tulsi leaves and flowers.
• Observe a waterless fast for the whole day. If not able to fast the whole day without water, then one can take fruits and tea, milk, water but should not eat salt and "atta" or wheat.
• Prepare Panchamrita, a mixture of five foods: milk, curd, ghee, honey and sugar and offer to Lord Vishnu.
• Donate food grains, clothes, fruits, milk, umbrellas, hand-fans, matakas filled with water, to Brahmins.
• Next morning, after bath, donate food, fruits, sherbet, water, milk, clothes etc. and then break fast by drinking water.

Akshaya Tritiya 2018 Date and Time

Akshaya Tritiya 2018, Akshaya Tritiya 2018 Date and Time

Akshaya Tritiya also known as Akha Teej is highly auspicious day for Hindus all over the world. Akshaya Tritiya occurs on Shukla Paksha Tritiya in the month of Vaishakha. It is considered very auspicious if Akshaya Tritiya falls on a Wednesday and that day is Rohini Nakshatra day. The word Akshaya means never diminishing. Therefore if anybody performs any Japa, Yajna, Pitra-Tarpan, Dan-Punya on this day, that japa or daan-punya never diminishes and it remains with the person forever.

Akshaya Tritiya 2018 falls on 18th April 2018. Akshaya Tritiya day is ruled by God Vishnu, the preserver God in the Hindu religion and this day is believed to bring good luck and success. God Vishnu along with Devi Lakshmi are worshipped on the day of Akshaya Tritiya. As per Hindu mythology, Treta Yuga began on this day of Akshaya Tritiya. Akshaya Tritiya and Parashurama Jayanti, the birth anniversary of 6th incarnation of Lord Vishnu, often falls on the same day but Parashurama Jayanti might come one day before Akshaya Tritiya day as per the starting of Tritiya Tithi.

It is believed that if you buy gold on Akshaya Tritiya date, it brings prosperity and good fortune in the coming years. As it's Akshaya tritiya day, gold bought on this day never diminish and it continues to grow. Therefore, people can be seen buying gold on the day of Akshaya Tritiya.

As per astrologers, Askshay Tritiya day is free from all negative effects and it is one among the three days in the year that don't need any Muhurta to perform any auspicious work. Alongwith Askshaya Tritiya day, Yugadi and Vijay Dashami are the other two days when any auspicious work done on these days would give beneficial results.

Akshay Tritiya Dates

Akshaya Tritiya Date 2018 - 18th April 2018 (Wednesday)
Akshaya Tritiya Date 2019 - 7th May 2019 (Tuesday)
Akshaya Tritiya Date 2020 - 26th April 2020 (Sunday)
Akshaya Tritiya Date 2021 - 14th May 2021 (Friday)

Importance of Akshaya Tritiya/Akshaya Tritiya Significance

Marriage ceremony, house warming ceremony, purchasing of new clothes and jewelry, buying new vehicle or purchasing property, etc. are performed on Akshaya Tritiya day. There are four Yugas as per Hinduism - Satya Yuga, Treta Yuga, Dwapar Yuga and Kali Yuga. Akshaya Tritiya is the day when Satya Yuga got over and Treta Yuga began. Origin of Akshaya Tritiya is significant in Hinduism.

Many Hindus perform Hawan, take bath in the sacred rivers like Ganga and visit temples and holy places on this day. Hindu people also do Tarpan for their deceased ancestors on the auspicious day of Akshay Tritiya.

2018 Akshaya Tritiya Puja Muhurat

Akshaya Tritiya Puja Muhurat for Delhi - 05:56 to 12:20
Akshaya Tritiya Puja Muhurat for Noida - 05:56 to 12:20
Akshaya Tritiya Puja Muhurat for Pune - 06:19 to 12:34
Akshaya Tritiya Puja Muhurat for Jaipur - 06:04 to 12:26
Akshaya Tritiya Puja Muhurat for Chennai - 05:58 to 12:08
Akshaya Tritiya Puja Muhurat for Mumbai - 06:22 to 12:37
Akshaya Tritiya Puja Muhurat for Kolkata - 05:17 to 11:36
Akshaya Tritiya Puja Muhurat for Gurgaon - 05:57 to 12:21
Akshaya Tritiya Puja Muhurat for Hyderabad - 06:01 to 12:15
Akshaya Tritiya Puja Muhurat for Bengaluru - 06:09 to 12:19
Akshaya Tritiya Puja Muhurat for Ahmedabad - 06:20 to 12:39
Akshaya Tritiya Puja Muhurat for Chandigarh - 05:56 to 12:22

Baisakhi 2018 Date : When is Baisakhi Festival Celebrated

Baisakhi 2018 Date: When is Baisakhi Festival?

Baisakhi festival is celebrated on April 14. Gurdwaras all across India and also world are decorated with lights on the occassion of Baisakhi. Satsangs and kirtans are organised all over and people offer Prayers and Ardas for a happy life.

Significance of Baisakhi
Baisakhi festival, also known as Vaisakhi or Vasakhi, is a religious celebration in Sikhism. Baisakhi is celebrated on April 14 every year as per Nanakshahi calendar and the Mool Nanakshahi Calendar. It comes on the first day of Vaisakh month (April-May) as per Nanakshahi calendar. Thus Baisakhi is also popularly known as Vaisakhi. Baisakhi marks the beginning of the Sikh New Year and the traditional solar New Year for Hindus. The day of Vaisakhi marks the birth of the Khalsa way of living and formation of the Khalsa Panth under Guru Gobind Singh in 1699. The festival of Baisakhi is celebrated by both Hindus and Sikhs.

Baisakhi festival holds a great significance for the Sikh community as the Tenth Guru founded the Khalsa Community on this holy day. Nagar Kirtans and processions are organised in which Guru Granth Sahib hymns are being told, where large number of people take part.

Vaisakhi marks the beginning of the new spring year and the end of the harvest of rabi crop. Farmers in Punjab and Haryana thank God for the harvest and pray for prosperity in the coming years. People wake up early on this day and take a dip in the holy rivers.

A major astrological significance of Baisakhi is that it marks the sun’s entry into Mesh Rashi. Thus Baisakhi is also known as Mesha Sankranti. Baisakhi is celebrated as 'Rongali Bihu' in Assam, 'Naba Barsha' in Bengal, ‘Puthandu’ in Tamil Nadu, 'Pooram Vishu' in Kerala and ‘Vaishakha’ in Bihar.

History of Baisakhi
Since there was a huge massacre of the Brahmins and Hindus in 1699 by Aurangzeb, they approached Sikh community's ninth guru, Guru Teg Bahadur for help and protection. After a fierce battle afterwards, in which he and his followers fought bravely, they were still defeated and were asked to convert to Islam. The ninth Guru Tegh Bahadur was beheaded on the order of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb for refusing to convert to Islam, this prompted the coronation of the Tenth Guru of Sikhs Guru Gobind Singh. Guru Gobind Singh formed the Khalsa Panth – also known as the Order of the Pure Ones on the same day and made five Sikh warriors who would go on to defend religious freedom.

He asked these five to lay down their lives for Guru and Lord, who later came to be known as Panj Piaras. They were declared 5 founding members of the Khalsa Community and gave them the title of Singh. They were asked to wear 5Ks or emblems all the time - kesh (unshorn hair and beard), kangha (a comb), kara (a steel bracelet), kachcha (cotton undergarment) and kirpan, a sword. The day of Baisakhi is celebrated as the founding day for the Khalsa community, the day on which Guru Gobind Singh invited the people to come forward and get into Sikhism and raise their voice against the Mughal Empire.

All these events took place on March 30, 1699, at the Keshgarh Sahib Gurudwara, Anandpur and thus Baisakhi festival is celebrated there with huge pomp and show. Much celebration takes place in Punjab.

The Jallianwala Bagh (1919), where thousands of Indians were massacred on the orders of British empire official Colonel Reginald Dyer, also took place on Baisakhi.

Baisakhi Dates

14th April 2018 (Saturday)
14th April 2019 (Sunday)
13th April 2020 (Monday)
14th April 2021 (Wednesday)
14th April 2022 (Thursday)
14th April 2023 (Friday)
13th April 2024 (Saturday)
14th April 2025 (Monday)

Vaishno Devi 2018

Mata Vaishno Devi (2018)

Mata Vaishno Devi Temple is located on the Trikuta Parvat - a three-peaked mountain in the state of Jammu and Kashmir where more than 5 million devotees come annually. Goddess Vaishnodevi can be

seen in the form of three natural rock formations or simply called as the 'Pindiyas'- one of Maa Saraswati, one of Maa Lakshmi and the third one of Maa Kali.

Vaishno Devi Story – Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Story

Vaishno Devi story starts when Mother Goddess Shakti appeared to kill the asuras or the demons on earth who were in the process of killing innocent people. These demons were spreading Adharma (the
wrong path) everywhere. Maa Vaishno Devi came into light when Mother Goddess Kali, Maa Saraswati and Maa Lakshmi appeared together and 3 of these Devis or Goddesses formed one Goddess which came to be known as Maa Vaishno Devi. So Mata Vaishno Devi is in the form of three pindies (Sacred stones) as physical true forms of three Goddesses and it is beleived that the 3 pindies will be present till the end of Kaliyuga.

She was later born as the daughter of Lord Ratnakar. The parents named her Vaishnavi. Since childhood, Vaishnavi was extremely spiritual and as her soul was of Lakshmi so she wanted to have Sri Hari Vishnu as her consort. Because of her divine presence on earth, every living being became happy. Where Vaishnavi resided, that place became heaven.

During the vanvaas or exile period of Sri Ram, Vaishnavi met Sri Ram. As Sri Ram was the avataar of Sri Hari Vishnu, she decided to go with her. But Sri Ram told her that he was Maryadapurushottam and his wife is Sita. Sri Ram promised Vaishnavi that he will come in the form of Lord Kalki in the age of Kalyug and at that time, she would be merged with him. Sri Ram then asked the divine Goddess Vaishno to stay and setup her abode in Trikuta Hills and spread Dharma. Goddess Vaishno Devi is the Mother Goddess on Earth during this present age of Kali Yuga. Millions of devotees from all over the globe travel to this highly spiritual destination of Hindus - Vaishno Devi.

Devotees after halting at (present day) Banganga, Charan Paduka, and Adhkwari, finally are able to reache the holy cave Shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi. It is believed that Mata Rani stayed in the holy cave of Adhkawari for 9 complete months and this 9 months also signifies the 9 months of preganancy. Lord Hanuman waited for the mother goddess and guarded her outside the cave.  Mata Vaishno then wanted to wash herself but as no water could be found there, so she took an arrow and striked it towards the land and water came out from that place. It is same place of present day Ban-Ganga. The river was named Ban-ganga after this. After that, she came to the present day Shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi and took rest and started meditation. Bhaironnath when came to know about the presence of Mata Vaishno went there but was stopped by Hanuman. After a fierce battle with Goddess Vaishno, Bhairon Nath was killed and beheaded just outside the mouth of the cave. The severed head of Bhairon Nath fell with force on a distant hilltop. Bhairon Nath soon realised and prayed to the Goddess to forgive him. Mata Vaishno Devi then gave mercy to Bhairon and even gave him a boon that every devotee coming to visit the Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine would have to visit and have the Darshan of Bhaironath after having the Darshan of the Goddess and only then his/her Vaishno Devi Yatra would be completed. After this, Maa Vaishnavi decided to shed off her human form and took the face of a 3 rock formations and she immersed her self into meditation forever. This is the original Mata Vaishno Devi pindies. Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board is the official body taking care of the whole of the yatra and maintaining the Shrine.

How to reach Vaishno Devi

Neareat rail link for Vaishno Devi is from Udhampur to Katra and nearest airport to Vaishno Devi is Jammu Airport.

Mata Vaishno Devi aarti "Jai Ambey Gauri"

Live Aarti at Bhawan Vaishno Devi Darshan

Vaishno Devi Aarti Timings

Vaishno Devi Aarti is held twice a day. The first Maa Vaishno devi aarti is held in the morning and the second Maa Vaishno devi aarti is held in the evening after sunset. The time of the Maa Vaisno Devi aarti changes depending upon the sunrise and sunset time. The aarti of Maa Vaishno Devi takes nearly two hours to complete and the darshan is stopped during that time.

Vaishno Devi Weather

When is Ram Navami 2018? Rama Navami 2018 Date

Ram Navami 2018 is on 25th March 2018.

Lord Rama was born to King Dasharatha and Queen Kaushalya in Ayodhya (Uttar Pradesh) on Navami Tithi during Shukla Paksha of Chaitra month. The birthday of Sri Rama is celebrated on this day with much fanfare and geity. Born at Madhyahna period (middle of Hindu day), Sri Ram's correct time of birth comes between 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM for every Indian city. Madhyahna period exists for six Ghatis (around 2 hours and 24 minutes) is the most auspicious time to perform Rama Navami Puja rituals. Madhyahna's mid-point marks the time when Shri Rama was born and devotees can be seen thronging temples and chanting the name of Rama symbolizing the very moment of Lord Rama's birth. Rama Navami is also spelled as Ram Navami.

People mistakenly think 12 p.m. as the correct time of birth for Lord Rama but as sunrise and sunset timings are different for every city, therefore exact time to celebrate birthday of Lord Rama falls between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Rama Navami celebrations in Ayodhya are a sight to watch for.Devotees come from all over India and outside to celebrate the birth of Lord Rama. In Rama's birthday celebrations, they not only keep on chanting the name of Rama but also take a dip into the holy river Sarayu and keep a fast for Rama Navami. Devotees who do not fast completely don't eat onions and garlic. Satunch devotees read the epic popular scripture, Ramayana. Although Hindu's celebrate the birthday all over India and World, big celebrations for Rama's birth are seen in Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh and at Ramanathaswamy temple in Ramesvaram in Tamil Nadu.

Thousands of devotees visit Ayodhya, where a big fair is held which continues for two days, and rathyatras, carrying the Dieties of Ram, his brother Laxman, His wife Sita, and His greatest devotee Mahavir Hanuman, are taken in the procession.

Ram Navami is celebrated for 10 days in Andhra Pradesh from the Chaitra Saptami to the Bahula Padyami in the month of March/April. Many people don't know but this is the same day when Lord Rama was married to Sita and the same is re-enacted.

What does  Rama means?

The word “Rama” literally means one who is divinely blissful and who gives joy to others, and one in whom the sages rejoice.

What is Navami?

Navami is the ninth day (tithi) of the fortnight (paksha) in the Hindu lunar calendar.

What is Rama Navami?

Ram Navami festival marks the birthday celebrations of Lord Rama, who is believed as the seventh incarnation of Lord Vishnu. It comes at ninth day of Shukla Paksh (bright half) in the Chaitra month.

What Lord Rama teaches as a Son, Brother, Husband and a King?

As a son
    Obey your father’s orders respectfully and lovingly. You must not forget to sacrifice your own comfort for your father’s dignity.
As a step-son
    Do not fight your mother, step mother or mother-in-law even if She is not kind to you, even when she chooses and favours her own child against you. You must respect her and her wishes.
As a brother
    Care for your brother and be loyal to him.
As a husband
    Protect your wife and fight for her protection, purity and dignity. Take prefrence of divine path over a householder path. Householder's role is not ultimate.
As a King
    Sacrifice everything for your own Countrymen or people. Your own comfort, convenience and pleasure is always the last. Be always willing to put the State, Country or Kingdom ahead.

Lord Rama's Popular Bhajans

Hare Krishna mahamantra

हरे कृष्ण हरे कृष्ण कृष्ण कृष्ण हरे हरे
हरे राम हरे राम राम राम हरे हरे

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

The Rama Stotra in the Vishnu Sahasranama

You must recite this shloka 3 times as mentioned in the Vishnu sahasranama.

श्री राम राम रामेति रमे रामे मनोरमे ।
सहस्रनाम तत्तुल्यं रामनाम वरानने ॥

Sri Rama Rama Rameti Rame Raame Manorame
Sahasra Nama Tat Tulyam Rama Nama Varanane
Sri Rama Nama Varanane Iti