Hariyali Amavasya 2027

Puja Vidhi

Who Celebrates This Festival?

• Farming Families: Farmers observe this day to thank the land, the plough, and their cattle, and to pray for a good harvest in the rainy season.
• Family Members: All members of the household take part in the puja, the feast, and the games, praying for the health and protection of the family and the village.
• Devotees Honouring Ancestors: Many families remember their ancestors on this Amavasya and plant trees as an act of merit (Punya).

When Should This Be Performed?

• Morning Preparation: Bathe early in the morning, during Brahma Muhurta (the pre-dawn hour before sunrise) or at sunrise, and clean the home and the cattle shed.
• Puja Muhurat: The puja of the plough, tools, and cattle is done in the morning to the forenoon hours. Check the puja muhurat for your city on this page.
• Feast and Games: The special food is shared after the puja, and children play on bamboo stilts (Gedi) during the day.

About the Festival

Hariyali Amavasya, known as Hareli in Chhattisgarh, is a much-loved farming festival that welcomes the greenery of the monsoon and honours the plough and the cattle. It takes place on the Amavasya (new moon day) of the Krishna Paksha in the month of Shravana.

The Katha (The Story Behind Hariyali Amavasya)

Hariyali Amavasya has no single recited katha. It is kept as a thanksgiving of the farming year, on the new moon of Shravana, when the first rains have turned the land green. The word Hariyali means greenery, and in Chhattisgarh the same day is called Hareli, the first great festival of the farming calendar.

By this time the fields have been sown and the hardest work of the season has begun. The plough, the spade, the sickle, and the bullocks who pull them carry the farmer's whole year. On this day families wash their tools and cattle, place the tools in the courtyard, and worship them with gratitude, along with the Mother Earth and the village deities who are believed to guard the crops.

The monsoon is also a season when illness and pests spread among people, cattle, and crops. For this reason families hang branches of neem at their doors, place Bhelwa branches in the fields, and feed the cattle a special dough with salt and leaves, to protect them from disease. Children make bamboo stilts (Gedi) and play, and the village shares a feast of sweet dishes such as Chila and Thethari.

Elsewhere in North India this new moon is also a day to remember the ancestors and to plant trees, since the greenery of the rains is regarded as a blessing from the Divine. In every form, Hariyali Amavasya teaches families to honour the land, the cattle, and the tools that feed them, and to pray for a safe and bountiful season.

Samagri List (Items Needed)

Gather these items before starting the morning puja:

• Tools of the Field: Plough (Hal), spade, sickle, and other farm tools, washed and cleaned
• Tilak & Sacred Powder: Roli, Kumkum, and Akshat (unbroken rice grains)
• Lamps & Lights: A clay Diya with Ghee and cotton wick, and incense
• Sacred Water Container: A small vessel filled with fresh water
• Food Offerings (Naivedya): Gur ka Chila (jaggery pancakes), Thethari, and Khurmi, with sweet rice or Halwa
• Protective Greens & Cattle Feed: Neem and Bhelwa branches, Kalava (sacred red thread), and the dough and leaves (Gehun Atta and Bargunda) fed to the cattle with salt

Puja Vidhi (Step-by-Step Guide)

Follow these step-by-step instructions carefully to perform the ritual correctly:

Step 1: Morning Preparation and Sankalp

1. Wake up early during Brahma Muhurta, bathe, and wear clean, auspicious clothes.
2. Take a small amount of water in your right palm and take a Sankalp (solemn vow): "O Divine Mother Kutki and Mother Earth, today I worship my plough, my tools, and my cattle with gratitude. Grant us a good harvest and keep my family safe from illness."
3. Clean the home and wash the farm tools and the cattle. Some families keep a simple fast until the puja is done.

Step 2: Preparing the Puja Place (Early Morning)

1. Clean the courtyard or the place of worship, and sprinkle it with water.
2. Place the washed plough and tools on a clean cloth or on fresh leaves.
3. Hang a branch of neem at the entrance of the house, and place Bhelwa branches in the fields.

Step 3: Performing the Rituals

1. Lighting the Lamp: Light a Ghee Diya and incense before the plough and tools.
2. Applying Tilak: Apply Roli, Kumkum, and Akshat to the plough, the tools, and the cattle.
3. Offering Flowers & Threads: Offer fresh flowers and tie a piece of Kalava around the plough.
4. Offering Naivedya: Place Gur ka Chila and the other sweet dishes before the tools and the Gods.

Step 4: Worship of the Cattle

1. Feed the cows and bullocks with the dough and leaves, with salt.
2. Apply tilak on their foreheads, and thank them for their labour.
3. Offer prayers for their health and for protection against the diseases of the rainy season.

Step 5: Aarti and Prayers

1. Perform the Aarti of the plough, the tools, and the Gods with the lit Ghee lamp while singing devotional songs.
2. Remember your ancestors with a moment of silence, and offer water or plant a tree if you can (families differ).
3. Let the children play and enjoy the festival, including on bamboo stilts (Gedi).

Step 6: Seeking Blessings and Sharing the Feast

1. Touch the feet of the elders in your family to seek their blessings (Charan Sparsh).
2. Distribute the prasad and the special food among your family members, neighbours, and farm workers.
3. Close the day with a simple sattvic meal together as a family.