Katyayani Peeth
Centenary Celebrations

Dear Devotees, Katyayani Devi Bhakts, and philanthropists, 

Katyayani  Shakti Peeth  Mandir; among the 51 revered Shakti Peeths in the Hindu religion, situated  in Radhabagh  Vrindavan,  celebrates its 100th  (Centenary) year in 2023. Our revered Guru, Shri 1008  Swami Keshavanandji located and established  the Katyayani  Peeth  in Vrindavan  after traversing an intense  spiritual journey.  He also  established  Ashrams in Bhuvaneshwar, Vindhyachal  and Haridwar. A group of temples have also been established  in each of the venues,  especially  in Vrindavan.  The management  of the group  of temples is undertaken  by Trustees  of the Ashram. The Ashrams conduct  Seva of the Goddess  and deities, celebrates  important  festivals and  religious events; trains youth in the study of the scriptures, does seva of Brahmins and Kumari Pujan,  conducts Yagyas  and significant pujas  etc .
 

On the Centenary  year, the Trustees have proposed  a slew of programmes  to commemorate  the iconic occasion. They are, beautification and betterment  of the temples, beginning  a primary  school  for disadvantaged children, opening a dispensary,  wellness  and medical outreach, launch of stuties  and songs devoted  to the deity,  prabhat pheries  through the city and district, Devi Paath, lectures and symposia  devoted  to spiritual  texts , spiritual / classical music  performances etc. Details to follow.

It is requested  that devotees and bhakts attend the ceremonies commencing on 16th. February  2022 & contribute in full measure  for financing the activities  outlined  above so that the efforts  would lead to the realization of the humanitarian  and spiritual  advance  of the devotees  and Katyayani  Peeth.
 

In the service of Ma Katyayani and our Gurus,   
 

Trustees  of Katyayani  Peeth.

On behalf of the President, Katyayani Trust, we extend an invittation to all Disciples and others connected with Katyayani Peeth, Vrindaban, to celebrate Saraswati Pooja at Keshav Ashram, Vrindaban on February 5th 2022.
The occasion is celebrated by distributing prasad, note books & stationary to young students besides a special puja and arati at the Saraswati Temple in the ashram complex.

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Saraswati Puja

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Sarasvati Puja in honor of the goddess Saraswati, also called Vasant Panchmi, is a festival that marks the preparation for the arrival of spring. The festival is celebrated by people in the Indian subcontinent in various ways depending on the region. Vasant Panchami also marks the start of preparation for Holika and Holi, which take place forty days later. The Vasant Utsava (festival) on Panchami is celebrated forty days before spring, because any season's transition period is 40 days, and after that, the season comes into full bloom.

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Vasant Panchami is a festival that marks the beginning of preparations for spring season. It is celebrated by people in various ways depending on the region. Vasant Panchami also marks the start of preparation for Holika and Holi, which occur forty days later. For many Hindus, Vasant Panchami is the festival dedicated to goddess Saraswati who is their goddess of knowledge, language, music and all arts. She symbolizes creative energy and power in all its form, including longing and love. The season and festival also celebrate the agricultural fields' ripening with yellow flowers of mustard crop, which Hindus associate with Saraswati's favorite color. People dress in yellow saris or shirts or accessories, share yellow-colored snacks and sweets. Some add saffron to their rice and then eat yellow cooked rice as a part of an elaborate feast.

Many families mark this day by sitting with babies and young children, encouraging their children to write their first words with their fingers, and some study or create music together.The day before Vasant Panchami, Saraswati's temples are filled with food so that she can join the celebrants in the traditional feasting the following morning. In temples and educational institutions, statues of Saraswati are dressed in yellow and worshiped.[8] Many educational institutions arrange special prayers or pujas in the morning to seek the blessing of the goddess. Poetic and musical gatherings are held in some communities in reverence for Saraswati.

People celebrate the day by wearing yellow (white), eating sweet dishes and displaying yellow flowers in homes. In Rajasthan, it is customary for people to wear jasmine garlands. In Maharashtra, newly married couples visit a temple and offer prayers on the first Basant Panchami after the wedding. wearing yellow dresses. In the Punjab region, Sikhs and Hindus wear yellow turban or headdress. In Uttarakhand, in addition to Saraswati Puja, people worship Shiva, Parvati as the mother earth and the crops or agriculture. People eat yellow rice and wear yellow. It is also a significant school supplies shopping and related gift-giving season.

In the Punjab region, Basant is celebrated as a seasonal festival by all faiths and is known as the Basant Festival of Kites. Children buy dor (thread) and guddi or patang (kites) for the sport. The people of the Punjab wear yellow clothes and eat yellow rice to emulate the yellow mustard (sarson) flower fields, or play by flying kites. According to Desai (2010), the tradition of flying kites on various festivals is also found in northern and western Indian states: Hindus in Rajasthan and especially in Gujarat associate kite flying with the period prior to Uttarayan; in Mathura (Uttar Pradesh), kites are flown on Dussehra; in Bengal kite flying takes place on Viskwakarma Puja in September. The sport is also found in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and parts of south India.

On Bali and among Indonesian Hindus, Hari Raya Saraswati (the festival's local name) is celebrated with prayers in family compounds, educational institutions, and public venues from morning to noon. Teachers and students wear brightly coloured clothes instead of their usual uniforms, and children bring traditional cakes and fruit to school for offerings in a temple.

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Text : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasant_Panchami

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