Navaratri Golu ideas/How to keep golu at home

Hi friends,

Wish u all a very happy Navratri.I would like to start Navratri 2014 with this basic post on “How to celebrate Navarathri,i.e. how to keep golu at home”.This post is mainly for beginners and of course for my future reference.It would be more of essays with pictures,just read on .

Navratri is a nine days festival for Goddess durga that is celebrated all over India in various ways.In hindi/sanskrit,the word Navratri refers to “Nine nights”.During these nine nights,nine forms of Goddess Shakti are worshipped and the tenth day is celebrated as “Dussehra or Vijayadasami”.Usually the first set of three days is for Durga,the second three days is for Lakshmi and the last three days is for Saraswathi.Saraswathi pooja/ayudha pooja is celebrated on the ninth day of this festival.This year 2014,Navratri begins on wednesday i e. 24th of this month.In Tamil nadu,Navarathri is celebrated by keeping Golu in houses.Golu means”Display”.It is the display of all idols and dolls representing major deities.Its a belief that Goddess is present in our house in all these nine days and we treat her offering Sundal and sweets as neivedyam.Some people go for fasting(Vrat) and they make no onion no garlic &  strictly no non-veg recipes on all these days.

 

My MIL has the practice of keeping Golu/Kolu in salem home every year on all the nine days.She invites all our neighbours in the evening to visit our golu and give them thaamboolam ( a small pack of gifts including turmeric,kumkum,mirror,comb,blouse pieces along with betel leaf (vethalai) & pakku) and Sundal prasadam.Golu can be kept either in a grand manner with 9 or 11 steps OR just in a simple form with 3 steps.All u need is just interest,some creativity and passion.So in this post,i have given some golu ideas to help beginners and for my future reference too asking my MIL.I also referred sites like Wikpedia,yahoo and howtodothings & ecards.com for more details.For keeping golu at home,there are certain procedures to be followed in arranging the dolls in steps/tier.All these  details are shared below.These are the pictures of our last year golu.I will update our this year’s golu pictures in weekend after going to Salem.Even iam super excited to see my Mil's this year golu as we have  bought Dasavathar & Ashta lakshmi set with some new idols.

DISCLAIMER : The information & pictures i have shared below are completely based on our house golu.It may differ slightly with the authentic ones.So please excuse .

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  Readymade golu steps or steps made using tables and boxes ( number of steps should be 3,5,7 or9) ( refer picture for Golu stand/golu padi)
  
  


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  A white cloth ( dhoti/Veshti) OR some colorful sarees.
  
  


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  Safety pins & bell pins for tucking the cloth with the stand.
  
  


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  Kalasam/Kalash/Poorana kumbham ( an auspicious set up of brass pot/Sombu with rice,dal covered with mango leaves & coconut on top of it)
  
  


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  Mirror
  
  


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  Marapachi dolls ( Raja,Rani),New idols of gods or the ones u use traditionally.
  
  


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  Dasavatharam set,Ashta lakshmi set,Ganesha set & kalyana set (optional to keep)
  
  


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  Idols of saints,freedom fighters & some kids toys( whichever u have in your house)
  
  


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  A set of serial light and some decorative lamps.
  
  


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  Flower pond
  
  

Three days before golu,u have to put Mulaipari ( ie u should grow grains in a plate filled with sand.U can use methi seeds,horsegram or ragi).For this,Wash and soak the grains overnight.The next day drain the water & set aside.Take a small tray with rim and fill it half with sand.Stud the grains and spread a layer of sand over it.Sprinkle some water and keep it in sun for few hours & in shade for two days.Sprinkle water whenever needed(never pour water).Small plants will come up.U should keep this in front of the golu.So keep it ready.

• On mahalaya amavasya day,Golu steps are to be set by covering with cloth and it has to be ready.U can use the readymade golu padi/Golu steps or use some old boxes,tables,chairs etc to make steps.But keep in mind,the munber of steps should be 3,5,7 or 9.Keep the golu steps in the corner of the house(facing east) by resting on the wall.


• The next day( after paatimugam/Pradhamai time) u can arrange the dolls.First u should keep the kalasam/Kalas in the center of the top most step.For making kalasam,take a brass pot/sombu and fill it with rice and toor dal till its neck.Then keep mango leaves in the sides and place a coconut over it.(Refer picture).Behind the kalasam,u should place a mirror.Here kalasam is considered as Goddess Durga.So keep a mirror such that kalasam should be seen on it.


• In the first step,keep the kalasam in the center.Next to kalasam on both the sides,u should keep Ganesha,Durga,Lakshmi & saraswathi idols.

• In the second step,u should keep two marapachi dolls(wooden dolls,see the arrow) a pair of male & female in the center by wearing saree,jewels and dhoti and u can decorate the couples as u wish.Arrange the other dieties like vishnu,shiva and Dasavathar set,krishna set etc on the second and third steps.There is no hard and fast rule as to which deity goes where, but generally, the top steps are reserved for deities, while the bottom steps are occupied by animal, human and inanimate statues.

• In the fourth step,u can keep some statues of saints like ramana,Meera, Ramakrishna paramahamsa & other mahans.Also u can keep the statues of freedom fighters & world famous personalities. ( We din’t have those idols.So we have kept meera with other idols)

• In the fifth(last) step chettiar bommai has to be kept in the center.In front of the chettiar bommai,arrange a shop like thing by keeping dals,rice,chillies in small plates( Refer picture)


• On the both sides of chettiar bommai,u can keep statues of other human beings,animals,birds and inanimate statues.

After arranging all these dolls,draw a rangoli in front of the golu ( using rice flour & colour powders) and keep a big basin filled with water and decorated with flowers.On the sides of Golu,place two lamps( vilakku) and lit them.Keep the mulaipari in the side of golu or infront of it.The most important thing on all these nine days is once u keep the golu,u should not close the house for any reasons like travel etc.U should light the lamps in morning as well as evening & do pooja by offering some sweets & sundal.One of the most important ritual in Golu is exchanging thamboolam.U should invite young girls,ladies to see the golu and honour them by giving thamboolam and prasadam.On each day of Navratri,a sundal variety has to be done for prasadam.The scientific reason behind offering sundal is that during the months of September-october,people get easily tired and fell ill due to weather.So it is prescribed to have protein rich foods to rejuvenate ourselves.Another theory is that sundal is offered to appease Nava grahas ie nine planets.What matters ultimately is that of all the dishes  should be made from the nava-dhanyas during Navarathri.

Easy sweet sundal using lobia/Karamani

Green gram sweet sundal & spicy sundal

Rangoli sundal/Multi grain sundal

White Chana sundal/Kondakadalai sundal

Rajma sundal

Peanut sundal

Moong dal sundal

Rava kesari

Medhu vada with video

Coconut ladoo

Moong dal ladoo

Rava ladoo

Millets ladoo

Sweet pongal

Lemon rice

Tamarind rice

Coconut rice

Curd rice

Lemon poha

12 Payasam/Kheer recipes