The Hindu Community worship and reflect on the form of Vishnu sleeping on the bed of Anant (the Serpent Shesh) in the milky ocean, while his consort Laxmi massages his feet. People fast and offer fruits, sweets, flowers to Vishnu and listen to legends of Vishnu and recite hymns from the Vedas.
In Goa, some families celebrate the festival with puja in the noon and installation of the red Anant Chaturdashi thread, followed by Naivedya (offering) consisting of payasa, a sweet from rice and milk and 14 oddes made of wheat and cucumbers. These are presented to God, seven of which along with the old thread are given to the Bhat (priest) and the other seven to the family members.
The Mhamai Kamat family at Casa de Camotims Mhamai, near Old Secretariat, Panaji, have been celebrating Anant Chaturdashi festival in a unique way for centuries. On this day, the 10 families of Mhamai Kamat spread all over usually congregate at the ancestral house.
The family usually throws open its doors to faithful who come to pay obeisance to Lord Vishnu and a rare shell (conch). Hence, the feast is also called Kongyachem Fest (festival of a conch). They also participate in the community meal.
Devotees include childless couples seeking blessings of the Lord for a child and if their prayer is heard, they return the following Anant Chaturdashi in gratitude with the infant and touch it to the overhead Mattolli, a canopy of fruits and seasonal fruits and vegetables.
The conch
There are some stories related to the Mhamai’s house possessing the rare conch. One story says the family traded with foreigners and bought merchandise for them. It is said on one visit to the merchant ship, a family ancestor saw this right-sided conch on the captain’s table, used as paperweight.
The ancestor felt this was a rare conch and also had religious significance for him, so he requested the captain to give it to him, who readily obliged. Another story says it was found in the early 19th century lying in the sand which was being unloaded from a country craft.
The Mhamai family is uncertain about the origin of this festival at their residence. Oral tradition speaks of the death of newly born male members in the house as the reason for starting this festival, while another tradition speaks of some slaves who were in bondage to this family consigned a snake to the flames. Hence to placate Anant Vir Vithal “ ‘Shesha’ the snake, a mythological resting place of Lord Vishnu, the family started celebrating Anant Vrata. This conch is in the family prayer room, adorned with pearls, rubies, diamonds and gold and is taken out only on Anant Chaturdashi for public veneration.
The rituals
On Anant Chaturdashi, the silver image of Lord Vishnu sitting on a horse is placed in front of the well-decorated prayer room. The right-sided conch shell is on a platter at the feet of Lord Vishnu in a silver dish for public veneration. The festivities start with the puja at 8 am and at 7.30 pm, the aartis are sung. A meal is then offered to the deity as ‘Naivedya (offering), which is followed by the community meal.
The community meal and the sweet payasa, cooked on wooden fire in separate large, copper utensils maintained by the family for religious functions, is served to all devotees in traditional style on a banana leaf, laid in rows on the floor of the house, called Pangat.
No outside donation of food or otherwise is accepted by the family. No lunch is offered on this day to public in deviation from regular practice at the Kamat house.
After dinner, bhajans are sung or some other programme is arranged to help keep vigil during the night till the Uttara-Puja is performed the next morning. It is believed if an individual performs puja for 14 consecutive years, he will flourish and be prosperous.
This year on account of restrictions, the Kamat family has decided to celebrate Anant Chaturdashi as a purely family affair.
The Kapdi, a Saraswat Brahmin family in Ponda, also has grand celebrations on Anant Chaturdashi.
None of the Kapdi family members know when the Shaligram came into their house. A story says a polished black stone found in the sea was given to one of their ancestors. As it appeared to be a Shaligram, they approached the Bhat (priest) to seek more information.
The Bhat told them that it was a Shaligram (iconic symbol and reminder of God Vishnu) and they had to install it in their house and perform daily pujas and the Anant Chaturdashi puja.
The Kapdi family have formed the ‘The Kapdi Shaligram Devasthan Trust’ to conduct the celebrations, which include daily puja, Anant Chartudashi puja and installation of the Shaligram at the Kapdi family ancestral house.
(The writer is former director of Thomas Stephens Konknni Kendr at Porvorim)
