SHEETLA ASHTAMI - A FESTIVAL OF PURITY, HEALTH, AND DEVOTION

Basoda Puja is dedicated to Goddess Sheetla and celebrated on Krishna Paksha Ashtami after Holi.

- DR KAILASHE PRAGY SUTHAR

Basoda Puja is dedicated to Goddess Sheetla and celebrated on Krishna Paksha Ashtami after Holi. Basoda is also known as Sheetla Ashtami. Usually it falls after eight days of Holi but many people observe it on the first Monday or Friday after Holi. Sheetla Ashtami is more popular in North Indian states like Gujarat, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.

According to Basoda customs, families don't light a fire for cooking. Hence, most families cook one day before and consume stale food on Sheetla Ashtami day. It is believed that Goddess Sheetla controls smallpox, chickenpox, measles, etc., and people worship her to ward off any outbreak of those diseases.

In Gujarat, a similar ritual as Basoda is observed just a day before Krishna Janmashtami and is known as Shitala Satam. Shitala Satam is also dedicated to Goddess Sheetla and no fresh food is cooked on the day of Sheetla Satam.

Sheetla Ashtami, also known as Basoda, is a Hindu festival dedicated to Goddess Sheetla, the deity associated with cleanliness, hygiene, and protection from diseases, especially smallpox. Celebrated on the eighth day (Ashtami) of the Krishna Paksha (waning phase of the moon) in the Hindu month of Chaitra, this festival holds immense significance in North India, particularly in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana, and Madhya Pradesh. Devotees observe this day with great reverence, offering prayers and following unique rituals to seek the goddess's blessings for good health and well-being.

Sheetla (means the "one who cools" in Sanskrit) Ashtami is dedicated to Goddess Sheetla and celebrated 8 days after the festival of Holi.

The Idol of Goddess Sheetla: She is holding a pot of water, a broom with a dustpan, and Neem leaves. She is sitting on a donkey. The relevance is simply understood as highlighting the importance of cleanliness, staying hydrated, and using herbs such as Neem that act as natural antibiotics for the body.