Anantha Padmanabha Festival

This festival is celebrated on Baadrapada Chaturdashi. This is also known as Anantha Chaturdashi.

Anantha Padmanabha Vratha

Get up early in the morning, before sunrise, have head bath. Clean the place of worship and put 14 padmalu is drawn before placing the Kalasha on a plate or tray which has uncooked rice spread on it. Prepare two kalashas one for Lakshmi and one for Vishnu. Keep Anantha vastra behind the kalasha, Make 2 snakes with 7 heads using darbe(if don’t know can ask priest in temple they will help in doing) and place that snake on each of kalasha. For one kalasha put yagnopaveetha or janivara(9 knots) indicates that is male god i.e Vishnu and for female god put mangalya and jewellery. Keep 14 lined red thread which is available at shop known by Anantha dhara in Pooja shop. Silver Kalasha is decorated with turmeric and kumkuma. The vessel filled with water has kumkum, turmeric, akshathe, coin,dry fruits added to it. The inner rim of Kalasha is decorated with betel leaves. A coconut is smeared with turmeric and kumkum on the mouth of the pot. In this festival all are kept in the count of 14 because the 14 worlds are present in Lord Vishnu or Anantha Padmanabha lap and the meaning of padmanabha means that the lotus has bloomed from his stomach and from the lotus lord brahma is born the creator of life on earth. Keep 5 types of fruits and banana 14 ,14 beetle leaf,14 beetle nuts, 14 turmeric kombu. Prepare red akshathe, red gandha.

In this festival pooja is done by Couple. Start doing pooja to ganapathy and river Yamuna and red akshathe is used after starting to pooja to Ananth padmanabha. Chant Vishnu sahasaranama. Perform pooja to thread. Do arathi. Tie the thread after pooja and female should put it to neck with the help of her husband and male need to tie it to right hand with the help of their wife. This vratha is performed for 14 years and on 14th year perform udhyapane to stop the vratha.

Anantha Padmanabha Food Menu Items

Need to offer god food items like 14 obbattu during pooja, 14 dosa and later can be taken as prasadam.

Anantha Padmanabha Visarjane

The next day need to tell visarjane manthra and then take the kalasha believing that god is no more in that kalasha. After taking that prepare some sweet in that coconut used for Kalasha.