Ayudha Pooja (or Puja)

We had a Hindu Ayudha Pooja performed at our house Tuesday evening. The Ayudha Pooja is a worship of whatever implements one may use in one's livelihood. The Hindu's believe that if one can make an effort to see the divine in the tools and objects that they use each day, it will help one to see their work as an offering to their god. The pooja is part of a ten day long festival celebrated all over India. I went with Sampeth and Bhaskar to make the purchases for the pooja which included puffed rice, lemons, apples, oranges, sweets, sandalwood powder, red powder, flowers, banana tree stalks and leaves, palm leaves, colored powder (for driveway decoration), coconut, watermelon, gee and probably more stuff I can't remember. It was quite a process. I enjoyed going along and taking photos. It was an interesting process to witness. There was much preparation involved to get ready. All of the vehicles, bikes, scooter, lawnmower and a driver's two wheeler were washed that afternoon. Mango leaves were folded and adorned with sandalwood and red powder and hung from the pillars outside our gate and above our front door. The goats were quite interested in helping...eating the leaves! Saraswathe and some neighbor ladies colored a Kolam outside the gates. Most people performed poojas on Wednesday but ours took place Tuesday night as everyone had the day off on Wednesday. To start the pooja Sampeth somehow lit a coconut on fire and walked around the house and vehicles. When he went into the carport to bless the electric panel we all had a good laugh (we had a large fire in July). Then he lit a watermelon on fire and walked out the gate and smashed it on the street in front of our house. Very interesting to watch. Then Ted had to drive over a lemon on the scooter and Sundar and Bhaskar drove over lemons with the vans. All of these rituals were part of asking for a blessing on the equipment that is a part of their life. We then passed out sweets and rice to all the staff. It was a really interesting part of the Indian culture to witness. I did have to laugh when the next day I saw a car broken down that had been pooja'd, I told Bhaskar they must not have had a very good pooja!