The festival of Vat Purnima is predominantly celebrated by women who live in the states of Western Ghat of India. The Vat Pournima festival is observed so as to ask and pray for the well-being of their husband. The festival involves women fasting through the day and tying red and orange threads around an auspicious banyan tree for praying to the Lord Almighty so as to get the same husband through all of their lives. The married women pray for the well-being of their entire family.
Duration of the festival
During the months of June and July of each year, you’ll find the state of Maharashtra geared up for this festival.
Highlights/ Important Rituals of the Festival
- The main highlight of the Vat Pournima Festival is that the women observe fast through the night to the next morning.
- The women observing Vat Pournima offer sweets and fruits in bamboo baskets to saints.
- Women are required to wear traditional bridal attire along with jewellery to participate in Vat Pournima.
- Women give water and apply red Kumkum powder on the Banyan tree and tie vermillion thread around its trunk.
- They also sit in groups listening and reciting the legendary tale behind Vat Pournima.
History of the Attraction
Vat Pournima came into existence after the legendary tale of how Savitri brought back her dying husband’s soul from the God of death, Yama. The legend goes that under a banyan tree, Savitri was nursing her dying husband when several of messengers of death came but had to return empty-handed because she refused to give him up.
Finally, the God of death descended and asked for her husband’s soul. Seeing her devotion, he granted her a boon where she asked for the well-being of her in-laws family. When Yama was on his way with her husband’s soul, Savitri followed. Yama granted another boon to her where she asked for her well-being of her parents. Next, when Yama along with the soul of the husband was at the gate of Yama’s home, he saw Savitri still persisted on staying. On seeing this, he granted her a 3rd and final boon in which she asked for a son. Savitri then said that how would it be possible for her to have children without her husband, on seeing this irrefutable logic stuck in the paradigm of Yama’s boon, Savitri returned to Earth with her husband.
