Author: ANI
Publication: Webindia123.com
Date: May 3, 2006
URL: http://news.webindia123.com/news/Articles/Features/20060503/323378.html
For those wanting to check their goodness
quotient, Goa''s "Walk on Fire" Festival is the ideal event.
The day long festival that honours the Goddess
''Lairai Mata'', is a night when Goa does not sleep. After offering prayers
to the Goddess, devotees walk over smouldering embers to wash away their sins.
And it is said that only those who are pure, have no burnt feet.
The over 700-year-old temple, dedicated to
the Goddess Lairai, is situated about 30 km north-east of Panjim. Instead
of an idol, the temple houses the goddess in the form of a pot, as it is believed
that she is formless.
"This festival holds great importance
for all devotees or ''Dhonds'' who walk on fire. These people fast from morning
till evening for five days, ensuring that any food or water consumed is done
only after bathing. Everyone in the village practices this ritual and they
all walk on fire. This starts at 3 and continues till six in the morning.
The devotees have a firm faith in the Goddess as they believe that she helps
them in trouble and also fulfills their wishes. That''s why we register more
than 400 devotees every year," said Vasudev Vishnu Krishna, the President
of Lairai Temple Management Committee.
"One of the main reasons for this flaming
worship is that Lairai Mata is considered a combination of the powers of Brahma,
Vishnu and, Mahesh, the famous trinity of the Hindu pantheon," adds Krishna.
About three lakhs people are expected to visit
the temple for this year''s anniversary. Considered by scholars to be a part
of the ''Sapta-Matrika'' group, Lairai Mata has a strong following.
"I have been coming here for the last
ten years for offering worship. In the whole year I fast for five days and
then live on fruits for another five," claims Prashant, a fire-walker.
The Dhond population in Goa is estimated to
be over 50,000, and they come tothe temple in traditional attire on the day
they have to walk on fire. They carry with them a colourful stick made of
cane, which is considered to bethe symbol of the goddess.
