The city observed Varaha Jayanti on Monday in honour of Lord Varaha, the third avatar of Lord Vishnu. Traditionally not widely worshipped in Maharashtra, this year saw several sarvajanik (community) pujas organised across the city in response to Fisheries and Ports Minister Nitesh Rane’s appeal to celebrate August as Varaha Jayanti.
Religious Significance of Lord Varaha
Varaha Jayanti falls on the third day of the shukla paksha of Bhadrapada month, corresponding this year to Monday afternoon through Tuesday afternoon. In iconography, Lord Varaha is depicted as a tusked boar lifting Bhumidevi (Mother Earth) on his snout, rescuing it from a demon.
Ramesh Shinde, president of the Hindu Janajagruti Samiti, noted the importance of this imagery, contrasting Hindu texts depicting Earth as a sphere with the flat-earth references in the Bible and Koran.
Varaha Worship Beyond Maharashtra
Shinde added that while temples dedicated to Lord Varaha are rare in Maharashtra, his depiction is common in temple sculptures. In Bali, Indonesia, the deity is worshipped to protect land from encroachment. Similarly, in Kerala, temples such as the Shree Varahamoorthy shrine in Palakkad honour the deity.
Events Across Mumbai
According to Satish Nikam of the Sakal Hindu Samaj, a few pujas were held in Mumbai, though state-wide participation was limited as preparations for the Ganesh festival were underway. Yogesh Salunkhe added that pujas were conducted at Chembur, Ghatkopar, and Kopar Khairane, marking the first time public celebrations for Lord Varaha were organised in Maharashtra.
Rane’s Push for Recognition
Minister Nitesh Rane visited several puja venues, noting that celebrations this year were “much bigger.” He stressed the need to highlight lesser-known Hindu festivals and urged the Chief Minister to include information about Hindu traditions in the school curriculum.
