Atla Taddi

Atla Taddi:

One of the most important festivals of Telugu people is atla taddi. It comes after the Dasara festival celebration .It is celebrated on asvayuja bahula tadiya. Every unmarried girl dreams of her future husband, future married life. To fulfill those dreams they do some vrathas and pujas. Among those vrathams Atla taddi nommu is important. This is called as karva chauth in the north India.

Cultural Beliefs:

It is celebrated by girls crossed after 5 yrs. and woman. If we perform this vratha unmarried girls will get a good husband, if married the husband will remain healthy.In general this is celebrated till ten years completion of marriage. Completion of the vratha is marked as udyapana.They has to perform puja and has to give vayanalu to Muttayiduvulu (married ladies).

According to the legend, Narada maharshi advised gauri Devi to perform atla taddi to get Lord Shiva as her husband. The vrata is performed mainly for worshipping moon to obtain prosperity of woman, happiness in family.

Also there is an interesting story in the puranas.In olden days a king had a beautiful daughter named Kaveri. She has performed the atla taddi nomu with her friends with pure devotion. Everyone who has performed the puja along with her are blessed with handsome husbands but Kaveri used to get matches from ugly or old aged persons. She got vexed with this and went to forest and did severe penance. Lord Shiva and parvathi appeared before her then she yelled her pain to them. Then they told her that she made a mistake when doing the vratha.

As she was fasting during the vratha her brothers got worried. So they fired grass and they have shown this as moon to her in the mirror and made her to break the fast, because of this she is not getting a good husband. Lord Shiva and parvathi advised her to perform the vratha once more and disappeared. Kaveri went again home and performed the puja with great devotion and she got a handsome and brave husband.

Atla taddi Procedure:

Before atla taddi night 11 married women (considered as goddess) and one man (considered as goddess brother poturaju) has to be invited for the puja and dinner. While inviting them we have to give them oil, Sunni pindi(bath powder) and kunkudukai (Reetha) Soap nuts for taking head bath.

Morning need to get up early in the brahma muhurtha time and take head bath. Toranam has to be decorated to the house.Prepare rice, mudda pappu (plain dal), gongura chutney, curd and eat the food with ghee before sunrise. Fasting has to be done till evening even without drinking water. One can break the fast after the moon is visible. 

11 married women and the one who is having this puja have to fast. Women swing in the uyyala (swing). Women sing folk songs like atla taddi aaratloi, mudda pappu mudatloi. They apply gorintaku (mehandi) on their palms.

Evening puja has to be performed for Lord Ganesh (made of turmeric).Keep undrallu as naivedyam. Gauri Devi puja has to be performed. Kalisam has to put before god. Deepam (made of rice flour and ghee has to be lit in front of goddess gowri. Gauri Ashtothra satanamavali or Sahasranamam has to be recited. Keep Atlu (Dosas) as naivedyam

After puja Blessings has to be taken from married woman. vayanam has to be given to all the woman invited. Vayunam consists of 11 atlu (dosas),blouse piece, one fruit, Pasupu and Kum Kum,tamboolam. The lady giving the vayanam tells “ichinamma vayanam” (I gave her the vayanam), and the lady receiving tells “puchukuntina amma vayanam” (I took the vayanam). After giving the vayanam the lady who has given has to take blessings from them.

For dinner food has to be prepared with 11 varieties of vegetables known as dappalam. mudda pappu(plain dal), gongura pachadi, pulihora palatalikalu (sweet with rice flour, jaggery and milk),ghee and curd.

The above process has to be done for 10 years. After completion of ten years Udyapana has to be done. After Udyapana there is no need to observe the vratha.

Interesting Facts:

The vayunam has to be given to the 11 ladies who already took this vayanam.

While giving vayanam the woman who is giving and taking the vayanam has to cover the vayanam with their saree pallus.

Scientific Reasons:

• Among the nine planets mars (Kujudu) likes Dosas, if we put dosa as naivedyam then kuja dosha is reduced and relation grows between couple. Dosas has to prepared with rice and black gram(minumulu) as they are charity for moon and rahu as per astrology.
• Applying gorintaku (Mehendi) reduce the harmful bacteria on skin. Cools the skin. 
• To overcome problems during pregnancy atla taddi vayanam has to be given. 
• Fasting during the vratha is observed because it results in autolysis a biological process. This breaks down the fat stored in the body to produce energy. A wife fasts for the increase in life expectancy for her husband. Fasting by wife leads to higher reproductive longevity and for higher sexual activity. the wife increase in sexual activity is directly proportional to her husband’s sexual activity, which in turn means, husband is going to have higher life expectancy due to increase in sexual activity. 
• The Food for dinner consists of pulihora(yellow tamarind rice) that reduces the impact of kuja. Curd will give better profits in business. palatalikalu prepared with jaggery  will  fulfill unfulfilled desires and cures diseases. Ghee is used for good health, energy and longevity.