Aadi Perukku
A Day of Multiplying Fortunes & Bountiful Grace of Goddess Adi Shakti
When Mother Nature Becomes Highly Benevolent And Grants Aplenty
Aadi Perukku is a festival observed on the 18th day of Aadi (a Tamil month). Also called as Padinettam Perukku, where in Padinettu signifies eighteen and perukku denotes rising. This year, it falls on 3rd of August. Adi Perukku is a water ritual celebrated mainly by women of Tamil Nadu to honour Mother Nature.
On the day of Aadi Perukku, women worship Goddess Durga, a divine form of Mother Parvati and prepare different forms of rice dishes such as coconut rice, lemon rice, tamarind rice, curd rice, tomato rice and sweet pongal and offer it to the Goddess. Devotees worship River Cauvery — one of the sacred rivers, by offering Akshata (turmeric coated rice) and flowers and take a holy bath in the river and wear new clothes before performing the Aadi Perukku rituals. It is followed by abhishekam of Cauvery Amman. Mother Nature showers her grace on the people with abundance of prosperity and auspiciousness during this time.
The month of Aadi is also galore with festivals and observances dedicated to the supreme feminine energy Adi Shakti. It’s a month of glorification of the goddess who is a mother to all. She fulfills wishes of everyone and grants prosperity and auspiciousness and therefore it’s time for showing gratitude to this divine energy.
Aadi Perukku Reveres Water’s Life Sustaining Properties
Aadi Perukku festival is celebrated with traditional fervour on 3rd August 2018. On this day, many including newly married couple perform pooja for Cauvery River. Aadi Perukku is a Tamil festival celebrated on the 18th day of the Tamil month Aadi (mid July to mid August) in gratitude to water bodies especially Cauvery. The river is full and provides nourishment to the crops and the farmers enjoy a surplus harvest.
This holy day pays homage to water’s life sustaining properties. For the blessing of people with peace, prosperity, happiness and good fortune, nature worship in the form of Goddess deities are organized to shower Nature’s bountiful grace on mankind.
A Moment Of Joy & Pride For The People
On this special occasion, people pray for rain and good harvest. A lamp is prepared with rice flour and jaggery and placed on a bed of mango leaves. A yellow thread, turmeric and flowers are added. Women light the lamp and float the lamp in the river. After completing the pooja, devotees eat the ‘Kalandha Sadham’, variety rice prepared on a make-shift stove along the banks of the river with their family. These days, this event has turned more joyful as people get into a picnic mood on the banks of the beautiful Cauvery. The riverbank picnic is an important event in some districts. And also some people add a gold coin to the mangalsutra (thali) on this day.
Aadi Perukku is mainly celebrated by the people who depend on the monsoon rains and rivers for their life. Special abhishekam, pujas and homas to Adi Shakti are performed in temples on that day. People pray to Varuna – the Rain God and River Cauvery for a good harvest, problem free monsoon and continuous supply of water.
The riverbank picnic is an important event in some districts. The festival denotes fertility and has been observed since the times of royals and several other historic periods.
