Tula Sankranti

Tula Sankranti is also known as Garbhana Sankranti and is the first day of the Kartika month by the Hindu solar calendar. It falls on the same day as Mahashtami and is celebrated all over India with different rituals. The festival is especially celebrated in Odisha and Karnataka to enjoy the achievement of the farmers in growing rice fields just as a pregnant mother rejoices and feels proud of her womb. Thus, Tula Sankranti is also called the garbhana Sankranti. The day is celebrated with social, religious, and cultural significance.

Holy dips or baths in Karnataka, Mayavaram, and Bhagamandala are considered auspicious not only on the day of Sankranti but throughout the Tula month. Different pujas are performed to please Goddess Laxmi so that she bestows good crops for the farmers every year. The whole family of the farmers get involved during the puja ceremony and pray to God after which they eat a rich meal to believe that there will be no shortage of food in the future.

Like other Sankranti days, temples are decorated and devotees come in large numbers to offer daan to the needy people. They pray to God for a better future and please him with good deeds. On Tula Sankranti, the temples of Goddess Laxmi hold special importance apart from the Surya temples and Navgraha temples.

Rituals of the Day

• Goddess Laxmi and Goddess Parvati are worshipped on this day in Odisha and Karnataka respectively.
• Goddess Laxmi is offered fresh rice grains, along with wheat grains and branches of kara plants, while Goddess Parvati is offered betel leaves, palm nuts, sandalwood paste vermillion paste, and bangles.
• The celebration of this day is known to reduce famines and draughts so that the harvest is plenty and there is growth of earning power among the farmers.
• In Karnataka coconut is covered with a silk cloth and decorated with garlands to represent Goddess Parvati.
• Another common ritual of this day that takes place in Odisha is to measure the yield of rice, wheat, and pulses so that there will be no scarcity.

2024 Date: October 17.