[GHHF] Dhupa Deepa Naivedyam Puja Items distributed to select Gramadevata Temples to Celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi in West Godavari District in Andhra Pradesh.

01 Oct 2023 819 Views

"In the family of religions, Hinduism is the wise old all-knowing mother. Its sacred books, the Vedas, claim, 'Truth is one, but sages call it by different names.' If only Islam, and all the rest of the monotheistic 'book' religions, had learned that lesson, all the horror of history's religious wars could have been avoided. Which other religion has its God say, as Krishna does in the Bhagavad Gita, 'All paths lead to me.'  Robert R Zaehner (1913-1974)
Global Hindu Heritage Foundation is extremely happy to recognize the need to preserve and protect the traditions and customs in the villages. We feel that many villagers identify themselves their Gramadevatas and pray for their blessings to protect them from possible impeding dangers. This is our effort to revive the sentiments and faith in Gramadevatas who once played a significant role in unifying the entire community.
During the celebrations of Ganesh Chaturthi festival GHHF distributed Dhupa Deepa Naivedyam Pooja kits to selected villages in Dalit communities. They are:
Venkatarama Puram Harijanawada, Penukonda Madlam – Sri Rama Mandiram
Velagaleru Harijanawada, Penumantra Mandlam Sri Ramalayam
Marteru Harijanawada, Penumantra Mandlama – Sri Ramalayam
Doddivaripalem Harijanwada, Achanta Mandalam – Sri Ramalayam
Peddamallam Gramam Sirrivaripeta Harijanawada, Achanta Mandlam - 
Mulaparru Garuvu Harijanawada, Penukonga Mandlama – Sri Ramalayam
Valluru Uttarapalem Harijanawada, Achanta Mandlam – Sri Ramalayam
Pekeru Harijana Wada, Iragavaram Mandlama – Sri Rama Temple
Ogidi Harijanawada, Iragavaram Mandlam – Sri Rama Temple.
Neggipudi Harijanawada, Penumantra Mandalam – Sri Ramalayam

Grama Devatas means village Goddesses/Deities who were installed in the villages to protect the village, to protect the crops, to prevent calamities, to prevent various kinds of ailments and to bless the villagers with health and wealth. As we know, many Grama Devatas are located in a small place in the community or village. The overwhelming majority of Grama Devatas are Goddesses with very few notable experiences. Dharma-Thakkur is a god of fertility and disease in West Bengal. Another example is Kala Bhairava, a fierce form of Lord Shiva is the Gramadevata in the rural villages of Maharashtra, where he is referred to as Vairavar. 

Many people in villages will have darshan of Gramadevata before they go out of town or go on pilgrimage. They are worshipped on a regular basis and offerings are made in recognition of their role as a protector of the village and preventor of numerous ailments. The names of the Gramadevatas vary from village to village. Examples of these Gramadevatas are Ganganamma, Veeramma, Poleramma, Chenchulakshmi,  Bangaramma, Bangamma, Seetalamma, Nookalamma, Mumba Devi, Gulebi, and others. 
According to Sree Padma (2013), “A Gramadevata often is “at home” in the outdoors and usually symbolized aniconically in the form of a shapeless rock, a snake hole, or a tree. While she may also be seen in the form of images within more humbly constructed and appointed shrines at the edge of a village, Gramadevatas are usually worshipped directly by devotees without any Brahman priestly mediation and therefore without elaborate Sanskrit recitations….The priests and  priestesses of these Gramadevata are mostly from non-Brahminic castes and play a major cultic role only at the time of special festivals.” 

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