Hartalika Puja
Legend of Hartalika Teej
‘Hartalika’ word is combination of "Harat" and "Aalika" which means "abduction" and "female friend" respectively. According to the legend of Hartalika Teej, the friend of Goddess Parvati took her to the thick forest so that her father can't marry her to Lord Vishnu against her wish.On the sudden disappearance of Goddess Parvati, her father thought that someone has kidnaped his daughter. Hence this day is known as Hartalika or Haritalika.As legend goes, Goddess Parvati performed severe penance in the forest to please Lord Shiva. Impressed by Goddess Parvati’s determination & penance, Lord Shiva blessed her & granted her wish to marry him.. As friend of Goddess Parvati helped her to get Lord Shiva as her husband, this day is also marked as the solidarity of friendship among female friends.
Today, married women perform the puja to seek blessings for a blissful married life & unmarried girls to get their desired groom.
Hartalika Puja details
The morning time is considered good to perform Hartalika Puja. If is not possible due to perform puja in the morning, then Pradosh time(auspicious three-hour period 1.5 hours before and after sunset) is also considered good to perform the puja. . Teej Puja should be done after taking early bath and getting dressed up with fine clothes. Sand made Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati should be worshipped and the legend of Hartalika should be narrated during the Puja. Religious text Vratraj gives detailed Vidhi to perform Hartalika Puja. Generally, Hartalika Teej is considered to be females only festival. However, Vratraj does not specifically mention that the Puja should be performed by only females. The main Puja steps given in Vratraj are as follows –
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Early morning bath with Sesame and Amalak (आमलक) powder
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Dressing up with fine clothes
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Sankalp to perform Hartalika Vrat to please Uma-Maheshwar (Lord Shiva)
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Worship Lord Ganesh before worshipping Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati
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Shodashopachara Pooja of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati
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Anga Puja for Goddess Parvati
