2012 Ratha Saptami

Dedicated to the Indian Sun God Lord Surya Ratha Saptami is celebrated on january 30th. Tradition has it that Lord Surya rides a chariot driven by seven horses. This is the form of Surya God that is worshipped during the festival of Ratha Saptami. This is a very important occasion in the Tirupati Balaji Temple and devotees throng to this temple to have a glimpse of this festival. It is believed that the earth is inclined towards the sun the maximum on this day of Ratha Saptami.

Observed on the seventh day of the Shukla Paksha in the Indian calendar, Ratha Saptami is celebrated in the Indian month of Magh. Shukla Paksha is the waxing phase of the moon. Ratha Saptami occupies a lot of significance in the states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Orissa. In the state of Orissa, this festival is celebrated as Magha Saptami. Another name of the festival is the Surya Jayanti.

Devotees normally decorate the ground with a rangoli or a kolam depicting Lord Surya riding a chariot and milk is boiled in earthen vessels. Devotees also take bath using the leaves of the Erukku type and you can see people in Tamil Nadu normally doing this. Thus the rituals for the festival vary from place to place but the fact that it is RAtha Saptami is what is important for all the devotees.

Ratha Saptami is also celebrated by the Goan Hindus too and is revered as a very auspicious festival by them. Here it augments the spring season as also in the southern part of India which gets slightly hotter during this time. In the villages, many rituals are observed and temples also have very special practices. The Mallikarjuna temple is such a place where you can find many intriguing and interesting rituals.

The actual date of Ratha Saptami changes as per the phases of the moon in the lunar calendar of the Hindu months. The other names for Ratha Saptami are Vidhan Saptami, Surya Jayanti, Achala Saptami, Arogya Saptami, and this year Ratha Saptami is going to be celebrated on the 30th January.

It is believed that worshipping the Sun God Surya bestows us with us good prosperity and health. Surya Bhagawan is supposed to be the one who gives good health according to Hindu religion. On this day the devotees chant Surya Ashthottaram, and Aditya Hrudyaam which are very revered prayers most specially chanted on the Ratha Saptami.

Worshipping Surya Bhagavan on Ratha Saptami festival gives us good health and prosperity. Surya Bhagavan is known as the giver of good health as per Hinduism.

The story of Ratha Saptami goes back to the time when there was a King called King Yashovarma who was the ruler of the Kamboj Empire.

It is also revered as the birthday of Lord Surya Narayan who took birth in the house of the Indian sage Kashyapa and Aditi his wife. The Indian epic Mahabharata says about how Bhishma got salvation or got liberated after death on this day of Surya Jayanti. Thus this day is also called Bhishma Ashtami.

This day also marks the marked increase in the regions of the southern part of India and augments the season of spring. Harvest season begins during this time and most of the farmers in India regard this time as a great beginning of the New Year.

Falling on the second day of the other important festival, Vasant Panchami, this festival of Ratha Saptami is a greatly celebrated occassion across India.

Thus Ratha Saptami is a very popular and revered festival in the Indian traditions.