Bhoomi Pooja in Kerala: Grand Celebration of the Earth & Fertility

Earth is considered a sanctified element in Hindu mythology. The term Bhoomi is derived from the  Sanskrit word puhumi , which means the landmass that appeared from the sun. Bhoomi or Bhoomi Devi is revered as a mother goddess, and she is worshipped during everything related to land, so Bhoomi Pooja is the foremost ritual performed before starting construction or even tilling the land for agriculture purposes.it is considered auspicious +to seek blessings of the mother goddess, Vastu Purusha [the deity of directions]   and panchabhutas, the five elements of nature before any construction. Bhoomi pooja is always performed in the northeast corner of the construction site[  kannimoola ] in accordance with Vastu shastra guidance, it is believed that the Bhoomi Pooja will help to overcome the obstructions that may occur during the period of construction. Bhoomi pooja is performed all over India, from metro cities like Mumbai and Kolkata to flats in Calicut and remote villages of Uttarakhand.

Bhoomi  –  The Cradle Of Life

The tradition of worshipping bhoomidevi, [Goddess Bhoomi] the mother earth, and other elements of nature dates back to the Vedic era, Vedas and Puranas state nature as a manifestation of God or the supreme power, so nature is considered as the life-giver and sustainer, it upholds the earth as divine mother and all living beings her children. the prithvi sukta in Atharva Veda tells:

   // matha bhumih putro aham prithivyah//    my mother is earth and am her child, so offering prayers to bhoomi , vasthu purusha and pancha bhoota before any venture is an integral part of our culture,’ which commonly known as Bhoomi Pooja. 

Vastu Purusha

Indian architecture is primarily based on Vastu Shastra, the traditional and unique technique of construction. To be specific, vastu means the art of dwelling on a piece of land or property and shastra means science. Nowadays vastu shastra has been modified according to contemporary needs without disturbing its principles,  vasthu is very important in pooja room designs in apartments and vastu master bedroom design, otherwise, it will produce  Negative Energy which creates many problems for cordial homes.  The basis of vastu shastra or the science of construction lies in  Vastu Purusha, the ruling deity of building or structure that brings harmony and improves the quality of life. 

The Legend of Vastu Purusha

According to the legends, Vastu Purush is an ideal man created by lord Brahma. He was bestowed with immense power and strength, but with time he became a demon and grew so huge that his shadow caused a permanent eclipse on earth,  so he became a threat to the entire universe. The creator Brahma nor the other trimurthis [three divine gods Brahma, Vishnu and mahadev]  became helpless, because of the brahma devas boon . so the trinity seeks the help of ashtadikpalakas [god of eight directions ] . Ashtadikpalakas trapped the demon and pinned him against the ground with his head in the northeast and legs in the southwest direction. During this fight lord, brahma held the man at the center and kept him upside down.at this point he asked lord brahma what was his mistake that everyone treats him so cruelly, whatever happened was beyond his control, feeling compassion on him  Brahma deva decided to make him immortal, and made him the lord of land and properties and bestowed the name Vastu Purush.  so people on earth would worship and honor him before any construction work. The particular portion of land where vastu purusha was defeated was called vastu purusha mandala. 

 Since Brahma stated, vastu purusha will be worshipped all over the earth then every piece of land used for construction becomes vastu mandala. technically speaking vastu purusha mandala  is the metaphysical planning of the building, it is a diagrammatic representation of architectural designs in terms of cosmic movements.   

Panchabhutas     

 According to Vaastu Shastra, the entire universe comprises five basic elements of nature known as pancha boothas or pancha maha boothas  . These five elements are fire-agni, earth -bhoomi ,water  jalam air  -vayu ,akasham -space. As per vedas earth is a living organism and all other living and nonliving things on the earth including man-made structures are made up of these basic essential elements. So it is essential to incorporate all the five elements of nature and balance them with men and material for harmonious living. 

Earth

  Earth is the foremost element of Pancha bootha which has magnetic as well as gravitational qualities. Earth has a  large magnetic field surrounding the universe [globe]and energy flowing from north pole to south pole. The gravitational force of the earth is formed by the minerals and ores present in the earth. Southwest corner known as Kubera moola is the related position of this panchabootha.  

 Water  

    One-third of our planet earth is water. oceans, rivers, and glaciers contribute to this. Water forms a part of every living organism, eighty percent of the human body contains water.in Vaastu shastra, there is a definite direction for constructing water bodies. Eshankone i.e. northeast corner is dedicated to water resources and Water Body like water tank and Water Drain

 Fire 

 Fire or Agni represents heat energy, it is connected with the sun, the natural source of heat and light energy. Fire purifies everything and spreads vitality and positive energy to all.   The southeast corner is considered as a related space of agni which is known;   Agnikon. The fireplace or kitchen is designed in this corner to get positive energy

Air   

Air or vayu is another prominent element in pancha bootha without which life will standstill.  air is a combination of various gases like oxygen, nitrogen, helium, co2  so a balanced percentage of these gases is necessary for healthy living, it is mandatory to consider the humidity level and atmospheric pressure, so proper air circulation is necessary. For a fair living according to vastu air should enter from the northeast direction, and this  North-East Corner is known as vayu moola, which should not be closed by any structure.

 Space    

    Space or akasha is an infinite element among the five, it has no limits or boundaries, space not only consists of our solar system but the entire galaxy, sun, moon, stars, and constellations. This element is related to the human senses, especially hearing, space influences human life so during construction the central space known as brahmasthanam is always kept vacant with the provision of direct sunlight.   So before starting construction all these factors are considered  

Significance of Bhoomi pooja  for New House Construction

 Bhoomi pooja ceremony is the foremost ritual performed to seek the blessings of Bhoomi Devi, the mother earth , vastu purusha and panchabhoota. As per belief, it is necessary to conduct this Ritualistic Pooja Bhoomi Pooja] to eradicate evil effects and Vaastu dosha in the land and pay the way for a Smooth  Construction and Smooth Completion or it will sometimes adversely affect  Actual construction and the Lifespan of residents, it will affect married life and individuals life. once the date and time are decided, Bhoomi pooja invitation is given to relatives and friends.

 Bhoomi Pooja Procedure

Preparations before Bhoomi pooja; First of all land has to be selected then a compound wall has to be erected to get the proper dimension of your land.  The Height of the Compound Wall is important in vasthu, the southwestern portion of the compound wall should be higher than the other walls of the house. The walls on the east and north sides should be shorter than the south and west sidewalls. Saplings of fruit-bearing trees and plantain are planted to make the land more auspicious, in some regions a calf or cow is also kept. The site must be properly cleaned before the pooja and bhoomi pooja is not conducted if any female member of your family is expecting a child [ seven months pregnant ] or any recent death of blood relatives.  These things vary a little bit from region to region but the motive of conducting the pooja is the same, it is obvious that the equilibrium of the earth is disturbed during the construction process, so to balance this disturbance and to seek permission and blessings of mother earth this pooja is conducted. 

First, an auspicious date is selected for the pooja, this date is selected with the help of an astrologer considering the favourable time [vastu muhurat] when the Vastu Purusha is strong .while selecting date one must consider the lunar constellations, avoid the lunar days between 1to 7 and 19 to 28,. and also better to avoid divas karma, hadapaksha and shraadh and  it is better to avoid 4th  ninth, and 14 among the teethis. Ideal months to perform pooja are[ july] Saravana, Margashirsha [dec]. pausha[  jan]  and kartik[  october]

 Once the date and place are decided for this Auspicious Activity one has to collect the pooja samagri[ material] needed for the havan, materials may vary because of regional differences and customs but basic things are listed below.  Coconut,kalash[ pot] mango leaves, turmeric, kumkum, sandal paste, incense sticks, camphor,coriander seeds ashtamangalyam , a set of panchaloha ,navadhanya   , idols of lakshmi and ganesha, sweets , cloth, betel leaves, lemon, lamp, ghee,oil, coins,thulasi , flowers, plantain leaves, rice,

Preparing the site for Bhoomi pooja 

Clean the site; the site should be properly cleaned, thongs, wild weeds, Thorny Plants, Bamboo Plant and bushes, Telephone Posts, Construction Materials should be removed, unwanted pits, Dead Plant and trash holes should be covered, trash and Building Materials should be cleared from the site.

Next, divide the site into a 9×9 grid then mark the foundation of the proposed structure. Now dig a square pit in the northeast direction of the foundation, at the centre of that pit leave some space to place the cornerstone and plaster four corners with cement. After preparing the base, clean five bricks for the pooja purpose.

Bhoomi Pooja Vidhi 

Bhumi Pujan Ceremony is usually performed by a priest, he chooses an Auspicious time[ muhurta ], usually early morning time then he will make arrangements for the pooja. Idols of Ganesha and Lakshmi are placed, Kalash, naivedyam, flowers and lamp, Turmeric Powder and other pooja things placed according to the pooja vidhi.  During the ceremony, the performer should sit facing east. The ceremony begins with ganesh pooja, as Lord Ganesh is considered as vigan kartha, one who removes obstacles. In Some Places, Family Deity are also worshipped. Usually, the following poojas are conducted during bhoomi pooja, but each region got its variations

 Devi pooja,  vastu purusha  ,sankalpa , shatkarma, after this an anushthan is conducted, along with mantras and then aarti  is done were apologies are sought from bhoomi devi for disturbing her place, then mangalik dravya sthapana is conducted. a coconut is broken and Kalash is placed during this pooja,           after bhoomi pooja  is commenced other rituals are performed as follows ;

Balidana     ; it is an offertory ritual where offerings are given to deities and spirits and requests evil spirits to leave the place

Hala karshana; during this process ground is levelled according to vastu guidance, according to Vastu the level of the plot must be higher than the road level and southwest corner higher than a northwest corner.: 

Ankura Roopana;    this ritual involves Sowing Of seed for prosperity and an offering is made for those who left the land.

Shilanyas; Shila stapana is the foundation stone laying ceremony, the foundation stone is laid in the pit  [square hole] along with mantras chanted by the priest, usually, the owner of the plot performs this ritual.

 After the pooja is commenced, nivedya is distributed to all people.

House Warming Ceremony

Once the building construction is over housewarming or gruhapravesam ceremony is celebrated, it is considered an important Event In Life. Gruhapravesam in Kerala has a lot of significance, it is believed that performing a proper housewarming ritual will bring peace and prosperity to the owner. For the ceremony an auspicious date and time are chosen the house is decorated with flowers and rangoli,ganpati homa is performed by a priest, then at the Subha muhurtham  a coconut is broken and the lady of the house enters with lamp and milk is boiled in a  brass vessel in the kitchen and with that milk sweet dish is prepared and distributed as prasadam.

Frequently asked questions about Bhoomi Pooja

1. What is bhoomi pooja? 

Bhoomi pooja is a ritual performed in honour of Bhoomi devi, vastu purusha and pancha boothas.

2. When is bhoomi pooja conducted?

Bhoomi pooja is conducted before the construction of a building

3.What is the significance of bhoomi pooja?

Bhoomi pooja is performed to eradicate the ill effects and seek blessings of bhoomidevi and vastu purusha.

4. Where is bhoomi pooja performed?

Bhoomi pooja is performed in the northeast corner of the site.

5. Who is vastu purusha? 

Vastu purusha is the deity of construction and direction.

6. What are Pancha bhootas? 

The five natural elements of nature – air, water, land, space, fire.

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