(Just a note, this post might be the most confusing one since you may not have any context of what it is, i tried my best but if you still don't understand, i posted a video below to clear it up a little bit more.) Karagam Puja is a significant religious observance celebrated by the Indo-Caribbean Hindu community. It is a manifestation of their cultural and religious heritage, blending elements of Hinduism with the unique experiences and traditions of the Caribbean diaspora. Karagam Puja in the Indo-Caribbean context typically spans three days of devotion and celebration. The puja is dedicated to several different important deities, most notably Madurai Meenakshi and Karunai Kamakshi. The beginning of the Three Day Karagam Puja starts early in the morning with a flag raising ceremony and invocation prayers on the temple grounds when Kali Maa's multi-colored flag is raised, White symbolizing peace, red symbolizing victory, and yellow symbolizing Shakti, the divine feminine energy. The next flag to be raised is for Krishna, white symbolizing peace over the green earth. Next, once they have done that, final preparations for the Maha Kali puja of three days commence for her to be awakened. The Pujaries have kept a strict fast of 21 days in preparation for this Puja, the fast being of no alcohol, no sexual activities, no fish, no eggs, and no meat. Mother Kali's veil is finally opened, revealing her to her children and devotees. After the eye-opening ceremony, the pujaris now prepare to start building the Karagams. The Karagams are made up of a Lota, with water inside, and several mango leaves tied together build a cone shape and then flower malas of flowers called Oleanders are wrapped all over the outside of the mango leaf cone. These oleanders can be compared to Mother Kali, beautiful when she wants to be, but if you talk about her Bhadra form (fearful form) she is scary and may be fatal. The Karagams are built to represent the Goddess Madurai Meenakshi and Karunai Kamakshi. The puja starts of with Ganesh Shiv to ask him to remove any obstacles in the way of the ceremony. Then they do puja for Kali Amma and the two Karagams. The final puja is done for Madurai Veera and he is asked to bless the Damaru drums used to invoke maa kali into manifestation. A maralo pujari is someone who volunteers to recieve Maa Kali or another god into their body as a medium so that Maa Kali or another Deva or Devi can speak through the body. The Karagams are carried by young boys who haven't hit puberty since it is believed that they are at the purest state they will ever be and they will not be consumed by lust, greed, or hatred during the fasting for the puja. Kali Maa, once manifested in the maralo pujari's body bathes in water mixed with turmeric powder and whole neem leaves. It is a purification process meant to cool down the human body because Maa Kali's energy is extremely strong and can easily make the human body weak. The purpose of singing the devotional songs and the drumming of the thappu is meant to keep the goddess content and satisfied as well as make her want to dance. They circle around the temple is done to bless kali maa's temple as that will be the place where she resides to help all of her children that have sickness and disease in their lives. The Karagams are then taken off the young boys heads and then placed in the temple. The marhlo pujari will take a lit camhpor into her mouth three times to purify her mouth before she speaks and addresses the congregation since it is believed the tongue and mouth are impure since it speaks lies and slanders. Once the mother is content with the puja, she will leave the marhlo pujari's body and go back to her heavenly realm. The puja for the next day is begun by the devotion of each deity in the mandhir, starting with Bhumi amma, Suraj Narayan Swami (Surya), Ganesh Ji, Krishna Bhagwan, Shree Ram, Sita, Latchman, Hanuman Swami, Lord Shiva, Naag Devta, Ganga Maa, Kateri Maa, Sanganie Baba, Muneshwar Baba, Nagara Swami, Agni Dev, Lakshmi Maa, Sarasvatee Maa, Durga Maa, Maare Amma, and lastly to Madurai Veeran, the guardian of the temple. A normal service takes place with the singing of mantras, bhajans, and lastly a Hawan Ceremony. Later, the young boys return to do the Karagam Puja once again at the source of water nearby, usually a river after they give offerings to Kateri Maa and Ganga Maa as well as a flag ceremony is done to raise flags for ganga maa and Kateri Maa along with singing and drumming of the thappu then they go around the temple once again for the blessings of maa and then the marhlo pujari falls out of trance once maa is content. Devotees bring offerings of flowers and fruit to Mari Amma. Then invocations of Sanganie Baba are done to invoke his presence. Then a pujari whips the marhlo pujari with a whiplash to emphasize that sanganie is actually in the body and the devotee is not lying. The devotee feels nothing and is left with no marks. Then a sacrifice of a black goat, a chicken, and a grey goat is done to Kali Maa to liberate the soul from reincarnation. After the puja is done for sanganie, a puja is done for Kali Maa and the two Karagams. Then a congee is made with rice, chickpeas, black eyed peas, onions, grated coconuts, and salt. The ingredients being obtained from going door to door asking for food for Kali Maa's Children. Then Kali Maa is later again invoked to battle disease using turmeric powder (dye or Haldi), Sindoor, Vibhut (Ashes), and Neem Leaves. The karagam holders and the marhlo pujari will go back to the river side, where they started the puja and do offerings to Kali Maa once again. The Karagams are dismantled and they head back to the temple and then final offerings are made to Madurai Veeran to thank him for making the pujas work. The temple gets cleaned and then the devotees are free to go home after they receive their individual blessings of Aarti. The Three Day Karagam Puja is a profound expression of devotion, involving elaborate rituals, fasting, and community participation. It fosters a deep connection with the divine and seeks blessings for health, prosperity, and spiritual growth. The puja serves as a reminder of the interplay between deities, humans, and nature, and the importance of ritualistic practices in maintaining harmony and seeking divine intervention. The Three Day Karagam Puja is a vibrant and sacred festival celebrated by Indo-Caribbean communities. It honors the goddess Kali Maa and other deities through fasting, rituals, prayers, and the building of Karagams. The puja reflects the rich cultural heritage and spiritual beliefs of the community while fostering devotion, purification, and the pursuit of divine blessings. Here are some videos that actually documented this, it has 5 parts so if my post does not make sense, please watch this.
Thank you so much for reading this post. Make sure to give it a heart and comment on what you think I should do next! Om Shree Mahakali Shakti Mata Ki, Jai! - Jai Bhadrakali Community
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