Ratha Saptami 2018 | Festival dedicated to Lord Surya | Indian Festivals | ARTHA - AMAZING FACTS

Ratha Saptami 2018 - Festival dedicated to Lord Surya Ratha Saptami, Achala Saptami or Magha Saptami is a highly auspicious day that falls on the seventh day (Saptami) in the bright half (Shukla Paksha) of Magha month.Don't forget to Share, Like & Comment on this videoSubscribe Our Channel Artha : https://goo.gl/22PtcY Like us @ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ArthaChannel/ Check us out on Google Plus - https://goo.gl/6qG2sv Follow us on Twitter - https://twitter.com/ArthaChannel Follow us on Instagram -https://www.instagram.com/arthachannel/ Follow us on Pinterest - https://in.pinterest.com/channelartha/ Follow us on Tumblr - https://www.tumblr.com/blog/arthachannel1 Ratha Saptami, Achala Saptami or Magha Saptami is a highly auspicious day that falls on the seventh day (Saptami) in the bright half (Shukla Paksha) of Magha month.2 Just like any other Saptami Tithi, this one is also dedicated to the Sun God Surya. The portrait of Lord Surya seated on a chariot is significantly revered on this day.3 This favorable day is celebrated in the honor of Lord Surya’s journey as he turns his horse driven chariot (Ratha) towards the north-easterly direction.4 It is believed that Lord Surya had actually started enlightening the whole world on the day of Ratha Saptami. Which is why it is celebrated as the Sun-god’s birthday that is Surya Jayanti. 5 One of the important traditional rituals of Ratha Saptami is to wake up before sunrise and take a bath during the Arunodaya period.6 Taking a bath before sunrise on this day can keep the devotees healthy and protects them from all the ailments. Because of this belief, this day is also known as Arogya Saptami.7 After this ritual, the devotees offer Arghyadan specifically during the sunrise along with the chants of Gayatri Mantra or Surya Sahasranaam.8 The worship of Lord Surya also includes drawing chariot shaped Kolam or Rangoli, observing fast and conducting Dan-Punya activities that can free the devotee from their Karmic deeds.9 In India, there are many temples built in honor of the Sun God that organize remarkable events in celebration of Ratha Saptami.10 There are various other temple organizations that conduct special Pooja arrangements like; the ceremonial procession called Maharatha Pooja that is performed at Shri Mahabaleshwara Temple - Kshetra Gokarna and the well-known festivities of Suryaprabha Vahanam Utsavam that are held in the Tirumala Tirupati Balaji Temple.11 To get more videos on Indian culture, subscribe to our YouTube Channel and also like our FB page.