Mānabasā Gurubāra is a festival celebrated by Odia Hindus in the

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

n state of

Odisha Odisha (English: , ), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the 8th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population. The state has the third largest population of Sc ...

. It is also celebrated by Odias living in Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, South Jharkhand and South West Bengal. In this festival Goddess

Mahalaxmi Lakshmi (; , sometimes spelled Laxmi, ), also known as Shri (, ), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism. She is the goddess of wealth, fortune, power, beauty, fertility and prosperity, and associated with ''Maya'' ("Illusion"). Alo ...

is the presiding deity. It is believed by the people that the goddess herself comes to every household and removes pain and sorrow. It is held on every Thursday in the month of

Margasira Agrahāyaṇa or Mārgaśīrṣa, (Hindi: अगहन - agahana; मार्गशीर्ष - Mārgaśirṣa) is a month of the Hindu calendar. In India's national civil calendar, ''Agrahāyaṇa'' is the ninth month of the year, beginning ...

. It is believed that Goddess Lakshmi loves a clean house so all women make their houses clean then decorate the house with

jhoti chita Jhoti chita ( Odia: ଝୋଟି ଚିତା jhoṭi citā) is a traditional Odia white art mostly shown in rural areas of Odisha. It is made from rice paste and with a piece of cloth surrounded with a stick is used to create beautiful patterns. ...

. It is believed that the most beautiful house of the village will be visited by Goddess Lakshmi and can get money and prosperity. An example of a jhoti chita

History

This festival is based on the Hindu mythology of Goddess

Laxmi Lakshmi (; , sometimes spelled Laxmi, ), also known as Shri (, ), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism. She is the goddess of wealth, fortune, power, beauty, fertility and prosperity, and associated with ''Maya'' ("Illusion"). Alo ...

in Laxmi Puran. In this Purana, once the Goddess

visited Shriya, a scavenger Low caste woman, for which Balaram, the elder brother of

Jagannath Jagannath ( or, ଜଗନ୍ନାଥ, lit=Lord of the Universe, Jagannātha; formerly en, Juggernaut) is a deity worshipped in regional Hindu traditions in India and Bangladesh as part of a triad along with his brother Balabhadra, and siste ...

got angry with

, and she was turned out from

Jagannath Temple, Puri The Jagannath Temple is an important Hindu temple dedicated to Jagannath, a form of Vishnu - one of the trinity of supreme divinity in Hinduism. Puri is in the state of Odisha, on the eastern coast of India. The present temple was rebuilt f ...

, one of the four most sacred places of

Pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...

(Dham) of the Hindus.

leaves the temple, and avenges the insult by cursing her husband and elder brother-in-law to go through a prolonged ordeal without food, water or shelter. The Purana raises voice against the evil practices of

Untouchability Untouchability is a form of social institution that legitimises and enforces practices that are discriminatory, humiliating, exclusionary and exploitative against people belonging to certain social groups. Although comparable forms of discrimin ...

in society. It also stresses importance on

feminism Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

, and empowers the female power to resist male

hegemony Hegemony (, , ) is the political, economic, and military predominance of one state over other states. In Ancient Greece (8th BC – AD 6th ), hegemony denoted the politico-military dominance of the ''hegemon'' city-state over other city-states. ...

. As per this Laxmi Puran, puja is performed for Goddess

References

{{Odia culture Festivals in Odisha Odia culture Cultural history of Odisha November observances December observances