Hartalika Teej 2020 Puja: Idols of Shiva and Parvati are made with sand and worshipped for marital bliss and progeny. (Source: getty images)Hartalika Teej 2020 Puja Vidhi, Muhurat, Samagri, Mantra: Hartalika Teej is celebrated to welcome the monsoon season. This festival is dedicated to Goddess Parvati and her union with Lord Shiva. On this day, women follow rituals and fast for their husband’s longevity.
The festival is usually celebrated on the third day after full moon in the month of Bhadrapada, as per the Hindu calendar. This year, Hartalika Teej will be celebrated on August 21. The festival is usually celebrated in the states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand.
Following are the puja timings, according to drikpanchang.com:
The puja muharat will begin at 5:54 am and end at 8:30 am, and again begin at 6:54 pm and end at 9:06 pm. Tritiya tithi will begin at 2:13 am on August 21 and end at 11:02 pm on the same day.
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Hartalika is derived from the words ‘harat’ and ‘aalika’ that mean abduction and female friend, respectively. Legend goes that Goddess Parvati’s friend took her to a dense forest so that her father could not get her married to Lord Vishnu against her wish.
On this day, makeshift idols of Shiva and Parvati are made with sand and worshipped for marital bliss and progeny. The morning hours are usually considered to be a better time to perform the puja, although it can also be done in the evening. One should take an early bath and get dressed before doing the puja. Along with worshipping, the legend of Hartalika should also be narrated during the puja.
Vratraj, a religious text, gives detailed ‘vidhi’ to perform Hartalika puja. The festival is celebrated by females only, although the text does not mention anything of the sort. The main puja steps, as per Vratraj, are as follows:
* Early morning bath with sesame and amalaki powder
* Dressing up with fine clothes
* Sankalp to perform Hartalika vrat to please Uma-Maheshwar
* Worship Lord Ganesha before worshipping Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati
* Anga puja for Goddess Parvati