​Dear Friend
Namaskar! We start a Vaidyagrama Events Calendar here, for you!
You can mark your calendar for your favourite events in vaidyagrama…
Whether it's a special Pooja ritual or an interesting Retreat, please plan your annual Ayurveda visit around these dates to enhance your healing experience.
You may please look at this space for more updates from time to time!
We look forward to having you with us…
With Thanks & Loving Prayers,
Your vaidyagrama family 
2025
  1. September 22 to October 2025 – NAVARATRI festival
  2. October 20, 2025 – DEEPAVALI festival
  3. October 26 to November 1, 2025 – NAVAGRAHA POOJA
  4. November 8 to 10, 2025 – MANOJAYAM Retreat: Conquering the Mind
 
2026
  1. January 01, 2026 – THRIKALA POOJA
  2. January 20, 2026 – SARPABALI POOJA
  3. September 5 to 10, 2026 – TATWA TANTU RETREAT (The Sacred Thread of Reality): Dhanwantari

    event Queries

deepavali festival

Deepavali, also known as Diwali, is a major festival celebrated in South India with unique traditions that highlight the triumph of good over evil and the ushering in of prosperity and light.
What is Deepavali
  • The word "Deepavali" means "row of lamps," symbolizing the lighting of lamps to dispel darkness and evil.
  • In South India, it primarily celebrates Lord Krishna’s victory over the demon Narakasura, which signifies the triumph of righteousness and the removal of negativity.
Significance
  • The festival marks purification, renewal, and the welcoming of divine blessings into homes and lives.
  • It is a day for warding off evil spirits and negativity and invoking health, wealth, and happiness.
Traditions and Process
  • Deepavali is generally a five-day festival, with the main day called Naraka Chaturdashi or Choti Deepavali, celebrated particularly with an early morning ritual oil bath believed to cleanse the body and spirit.
  • The eldest family member applies sesame or gingelly oil on everyone’s heads before this bath, symbolizing purification.
  • Homes are thoroughly cleaned and decorated with kolams (rangoli art), flowers, and lamps.
  • The puja room is arranged with materials such as betel leaves, fruits, turmeric, sandalwood paste, kumkum, and sesame oil for worship.
  • Special poojas are offered to family deities, Goddess Lakshmi, and Lord Ganesha to seek prosperity, protection, and wisdom.
  • Traditional South Indian delicacies like murukku, adhirasam, and sweets like boondi and palkova are prepared and shared.
  • The evening is marked by lighting numerous oil lamps (diyas) around homes and bursting firecrackers to dispel darkness and celebrate joy.
  • For newlywed couples, "Thala Deepavali" holds special significance when they visit the bride's parental home for blessings, gift exchanges, and celebrations.
  • The festival also has a strong community and family focus, with visits to temples and elders for blessings.
In sum, Deepavali in South India is a vibrant, spiritually significant festival blending purification rituals, devotional worship, joyous feasting, and community celebrations, firmly grounded in the victory of good over evil through divine grace.

navaratri festival

​Navratri is a major Hindu festival celebrated across India, including South India, with unique regional traditions and cultural expressions.
What is Navratri
  • Navratri means "nine nights," a festival dedicated to worshipping the Divine Feminine in three main goddesses: Goddess Durga (power), Lakshmi (wealth), and Saraswati (knowledge).
  • The festival symbolizes the victory of good over evil, especially commemorating Goddess Durga’s triumph over the demon Mahishasura.
Significance in South India
  • In South India, Navratri is celebrated with great devotion and cultural richness, emphasizing the feminine divine's three aspects during the nine days.
  • The last three days focus notably on Goddess Saraswati, with rituals venerating knowledge, arts, and learning.
  • It marks new beginnings, spiritual awakening, and family/community bonding.
Unique Traditions and Observances
  • Golu (Kolu): The hallmark of Navratri in South India is the "Golu" display, where dolls and figurines representing gods, goddesses, mythological stories, animals, and everyday life are arranged on steps in odd numbers (e.g., 3, 5, 7, 9 steps). This artistic setup symbolizes cosmic life and harmony.
  • Saraswati Puja and Vidyarambham: On the 8th (Mahanavami) and 9th (Vijayadashami) days, books, musical instruments, and tools are worshipped. Vijayadashami also marks the formal initiation of children’s education (Vidyarambham), where kids start learning alphabets by writing on rice grains or sand.
  • Cultural Activities: Singing, classical music performances (Carnatic), dance (such as Yakshagana in Karnataka), and community gatherings are integral to the festival. In Mysore, for example, Navratri is celebrated as Dasara with grand processions and palace illuminations.
  • Offerings and Decor: Homes and temples are adorned with flowers, lamps, and rangolis, creating a festive and auspicious atmosphere.
Purpose and Essence
  • Navratri fosters community unity, cultural continuity, and spiritual growth.
  • It honors the power of the feminine divine and inspires virtues like knowledge, courage, and prosperity.
  • The festival encourages devotion, artistic expression, and the renewal of life and learning.
Thus, Navratri in South India is a multifaceted celebration combining religious worship, cultural artistry, and social bonding, making it one of the most joyful and meaningful festivals of the region.

Trikala pooja

The "Trikala Pooja" among South Indian Hindus and temples is a devotional worship practice consisting of performing three separate poojas (ritual worship ceremonies) in one day—one at dawn, one at noon, and the last at dusk.
What It Is
  • The term "Trikala" means "three times," referring to these three poojas spaced throughout the day.
  • It is a traditional ritual in many South Indian temples and homes, often performed daily or on special occasions as a mark of devotion and spiritual discipline.
Purpose
  • The purpose of Trikala Pooja is to maintain continuous devotion and connection to the deity throughout the day.
  • It signifies acknowledging the presence and blessings of the divine at all crucial times of the day—morning, midday, and evening.
  • The ritual keeps the spiritual energy active and pious in the devotee’s life and environment.
  • It is believed to invoke divine protection, blessings, and harmony, and it fosters discipline and mindfulness in worship.
Process
  • The pooja involves a sequence of rituals including offering flowers, lighting lamps, ringing bells, chanting mantras, and making offerings (prasadam) to the deity.
  • Each pooja session typically starts with purification and invocation rituals, including ringing the bell to invite divine energies and dispelling negative forces.
  • Offerings usually include flowers, sandalwood paste, turmeric, kumkum, and sometimes food items like payasam (sweet pudding).
  • The priest or devotee performs the ritual by reverentially tending to the deity's murti (idol) or image during each of the three times—morning, noon, and evening—often accompanied by the recitation of sacred hymns and prayers.
  • In temples such as the Kateel Durga Parameshwari Temple, this is integrated with other daily and special services, emphasizing sustained reverence throughout the day.
This sustained ritualistic worship cycle is a vital part of temple activities and personal practice among South Indian Hindus, symbolizing devotion synchronized with the natural cycle of day and night.

sarpabali pooja

Sarpabali Pooja is a sacred and traditional Hindu ritual performed mainly in South India to honor and appease serpent deities (Nagas). It is deeply rooted in cultural beliefs that snakes are divine beings associated with fertility, protection, and ecological balance.
What It Is
  • Sarpabali literally means "offering or sacrifice to the serpents."
  • It is a ritualistic worship involving elaborate offerings, symbolic drawings (Kalams), and devotional songs, often performed to seek protection from snake-related doshas (afflictions) and to ensure harmony with nature.
Purpose
  • The main purpose is to propitiate Naga devatas (serpent gods) to seek their blessings for health, fertility, family well-being, and the removal of obstacles caused by Naga dosha (snake-related afflictions).
  • Sarpabali is often performed when there is believed to be a curse or problems related to snakes, or as a preventive measure for family prosperity.
  • It also serves as a remedy if a snake is accidentally killed or found dead near a person's property, which is considered inauspicious.
  • The ritual honours the ancient connection with nature and the ecological importance of snakes.
Process
  • The ritual is led by a male family member called "Kalattil Kaimal," who observes a purity vow for two days before the pooja.
  • Intricate floor drawings known as Kalams are made from colored powders on an earthen platform, symbolising serpent deities.
  • Offerings such as rice, tender coconut, milk, fruits, flowers, and lamps are placed around the Kalam.
  • Pulluvan and Pulluvatti (male and female members of a traditional caste) perform devotional songs called Pulluvan Pattu, which narrate mythological stories involving serpent gods.
  • The Kalattil Kaimal performs the pooja by offering flowers, sprinkling water, lighting wicks, and circumambulating the Kalam three times, followed by prayers at a nearby serpent shrine.
  • Young girls participate, holding brass plates and mirrors and are said to enter trance-like states, believed to be spiritual possession, which is an important and mystical aspect of the ritual.
  • The ritual culminates with communal prayers, symbolic actions like washing the girls' feet, and offerings to invoke blessings.
Sarpabali Pooja is both a spiritual and cultural celebration that emphasises respect for nature, community bonding, and reverence for serpent deities, highlighting the ecological as well as religious significance of snakes in South Indian Hindu tradition.
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