Aadi Amavasai-Deep Amavasya- Aati Amavasya-Aashada Amavasya-Bheemana Amavasya-Nagara Amavasya

Every custom and ritualistic observation in India has a legend behind it.  Perhaps, it is these age-old ritualistic customs that breaks into our monotonous lifestyle and brings some seriousness, and connectivity with our tradition, rituals, and practices. This makes life more worthwhile and beautiful.

Usually, the month Aashada is not considered very auspicious as per Hindu Almanac. But again, it is the same Aashada Pournima (Full moon day), Aashada Ekadasi (11th day before Poornima and Amavasya)and Aashada Amavasya (no moon or new moon day) has great significance.
For Tamilians, it is an exception. Same with Telugu-speaking people of the Telangana region who celebrate Bonalu during Aashada month.

Amavasya is ‘the no moon day or new moon day”. In total there are 12 Amavasyas in a year and each Amavasya has a name and significance. This last day of Ashada or Aadi (Amavasya) has a lot of significance and is celebrated in different places across India.  Each tradition differs from place to place. The festival is called as Bheemana Amavasya or Jyotirbheemeshwara Vrata in Karnataka, Sati Sanjivini Vrat, Hariyali Amavasya in Uttar Pradesh, Divaso in Gujarat, Deep puja or Gatari Amavasya in Maharashtra and Goa.

Deep puja is an auspicious observance on Ashada Amavasya day. Aashada Amavasya is also called Deep Deep Mavasya as per Marathi, Gujarati, Kannada, and Telugu calendars.

On this day, after cleaning or dusting the house and diyas, on a clean table colorful rangoli is drawn and the diyas are arranged beautifully. It is dedicated to the Panchch bootas –Five primordial elements-Air, Water, Fire, Sky, and the Earth and to the “Ista Deavata”-one favorite God. Predominantly, it is dedicated to Mother Earth in the form of the Goddess Lakshmi, Saraswati, and Parvati.

This also marks the arrival of another auspicious month “Shravan”. Again, Telugus, Kannadigas, and Maharashtrians abstain from Non-vegetarian food and alcohol (not sure of alcohol but people do abstain from non-vegetarian food) during the entire Shravan month. So, Gatari is the last day to relish non-vegetarian food and drinks.

In Karnataka,   the last day of Ashada; a new moon day is celebrated as the Bheemana Amavasya.

 Legend of Bheemana Amavasya.

There are many accounts of this legend. As per one of the stories from the legend it says, a greedy Brahmin got his only daughter married to the corpse of a prince. One more story goes that once there was a Brahmin couple who wanted to go on Kashi yatra. The problem was their unmarried younger daughter. They didn't want to take her on this long, arduous journey; so they decide to leave her with her elder brother and his wife. The Brahmin couple leaves for Kashi yatra but they do not come back for a long time.


Here the greedy elder brother and his wife decide to marry her off to a dead prince in exchange for wealth. After the marriage ceremony, the girl (bride) along with soldiers goes to the banks of the Bhagirathi River to perform the last ritualistic rites of the prince. While they are doing the last rituals, it starts raining and everyone begins to run away but she decides to stay with the dead prince. She remembers this Amavasya Vrata which her parents used to perform. So, the young bride takes the mud and creates two cone-like structures (Kalikamba lamps). She performs Jyotirbheemeshwara Vrata and starts praying.

At that time, Lord Shiva and Parvati in disguise as a young couple come and asks her about this Vrata. The young bride tells the story and seeks their blessing. So they bless her by saying 'Dheerga Sumangali Bhava' which means, "May you live a long life with your husband" and asks her to wake the dead prince.

The newlywed bride later realizes that it is Lord Shiva and Parvathi who blessed her for her devotion. Hence, even to this day married women perform this pooja every year.  Women worship Lord Shiva and Parvathi on the day of Bheemana Amavasya. Rituals on Bheemana Amavasya Two clay structures are made and a yellow thread is tied around them. Women pray by giving offerings followed by a traditional song. Later, women tie the yellow thread (Kankana) to their right hand and pray to Bheemeshwara.

Bheemana Amavasya Vrat:

On the day women pray for the well-being of their husbands and brothers. The ritual is also known as Deepasthambha Pooja. Bheemana Amavasi Vrata is dedicated to Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. Married and unmarried women and girls on Bhima Amavasya pray for the long life of their husbands, brothers, and other male members in the house.

A pair of lamps made using mud known as Kalikamba represents Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati on the day. Special pujas are done on an auspicious day to appease the divine couple. Thambittu Deepa or Thembittu lamp made from flour is made on the occasion and lit to cool all bad emotions like anger, frustration, etc.

Another important feature of Bheemana Amavasya is the making of Kadubu. Dough balls, or Kadubus, have coins hidden in them. Coins are also hidden in idli, kozhakattai, modak, and wheat balls. These balls are smashed by brothers or young boys at the end of the Bheemana Puja.No deep-fried or shallow-fried food is eaten on the day.

In the South, for Tamilians, it is Aadi Amvasai. The no-moon day, which falls in the Tamil month of ‘Aadi,’ is considered auspicious. It is said that during Aadi Amavasya the Sun moves towards the South called Dakshinayana. This is the first new moon day during this time and therefore very powerful and auspicious.

On this day, people congregate at Rameswaram to take a holy dip at ‘Agni Theertham’ and also perform ‘Tarpan’ rituals in memory of their ancestors.

As per the Vedic literature, Manusmriti says that of the five important rites that ought to be performed by a householder, “Pitru Yagna” or worship of ancestors is one of the most important duties. “Garuda Purana,” says that Shraddha is so significant in one’s life that those who fail to carry out this for their Pitrus-ancestors could witness downfall. In general, it is the practice to perform Pitru Tarpanam on the amavasya days by a person who has lost his father.

The ancient text also mentions that Pitrus live in Pitru loka or Soma loka which is near the Moon. On the day of amavasya, offerings of sesame seeds and water make ancestors happy and they bless their descendants with a prosperous life.

These oblations are offered to three generations of ancestors both from the maternal and paternal side. The deities for pitrus are Vasu, Rudra, and Aditya, and invoking them by chanting mantras so that food reaches the ancestors. The deities transport the food called ‘swadha’ to pitrus which is accepted with great satisfaction and pride.

As per mythology, Lord Rama performed shraddha for his father King Dasaratha and Surya dynasty ancestors at this very place. Therefore, performing tharpanam here on Amavasya day is considered special.

Again, Lord Ram worshipped a ‘Lingam’ made of sand here after his successful return from Sri Lanka, where he won Ravana in a battle.

Rameswaram is a Mukthi kshetram (salvation temple) and is one of the pilgrim centers of India visited by people in large numbers. It is a very auspicious and sacred place for performing pitru tarpanams. The presiding deities of the temple are taken in a procession on Aadi Amavasai. 

Special Significance of Aati Amavasya in Tuluva nadu :

According to Puranas and Itihasa, it is believed that on this day Lord Shiva is pleased with his consort Parvathi’s devotion towards him and accepts her as his wife. Goddess Parvathi symbolically represents a lot of different energies in Hindu traditions hence this day is very important.

Historically Tulunadu gets a lot of rain during this season and hence the people do not venture out. Due to heavy rain, it is also the season for falling sick. In order to avoid diseases and various ailments the older generations used to prepare traditional medicines to keep themselves fit and fine People in Tulunadu go to the nearest ‘Pale Mara’ known as the 'blackboard tree' or Devil's tree. In Sanskrit, it is called the Saptha Paraneeya tree. This tree has great references of uses in Ayurveda. This tree is filled with medicinal properties and is hence widely used in Ayurveda. 

The legend story goes that mother of King Balichakravarthi planted this tree in Tulunadu on this day. In the wee early hours before sunrise, the barks of this tree is and scrape into some chunks with the help of sharp stones or tools. For this on the previous day, the tree is identified, the bark to be scarped is marked, the tree is offered prayers and a request is made to allow to cut a few barks chunks for the preparation of medicinal decoction-" O' divine tree, kindly fill yourself with entire medicinal properties which will protect human race from ill health and bless us all with the abundance of good health.

 Next on amavasya day, early morning the juice from the bark of the tree along with the bark of the tree is collected. The outer black layer is removed and the inner white layer forms the chunks of the bark is collected Along with 10-15 black peppercorns and Ajwain called-carom seeds mixed and ground to paste by adding water a strong decoction is made. This is quite bitter to taste. At home, they grind it and make a ‘Pale Kashaya’ . This bitter Pale Kashaya is traditionally supposed to strengthen one's immunity system and help fight various diseases till the next Aati.

This Amavasya—No Moon Day is also known as Nagara Amavasya or Devshri Nagara Amavasya in some regions of Karnataka, Kananda-influenced regions in Andhra Pradesh like Anantapur, Tandur, and Vikarabad, and in Maharashtra like Solapur, Sangli, and Kolhapur. On the fifth day after this Amavasya, Nagara Amavasya commemorates the puja celebration of Nagara Panchami, also known as Nag Panchamu, where people worship and make offerings to Naga Devata.