Vaikunta Chaturdashi is a Hindu
holy day, which is observed on chaturdashi, the 14th lunar day of the waxing
moon fortnight (shukla paksha) of the Hindu month of Karthika
(November–December). The day is sacred to Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva. They are
worshipped individually or together in different temples in Varanasi,
Rishikesh, Gaya and Maharashtra.
The holy day of Vaikunta
Chaturdashi is also observed in Maharashtra by the Marathas as per the custom
set by Shivaji and his mother Jijabai for this occasion.
Legend
According to Shiva Purana, Once,
Lord Vishnu, Lord of Vaikunta, left his abode and went to Varanasi to worship
Lord Shiva on this day. He pledged to worship Shiva with one thousand lotuses.
While singing hymns in glorification of Shiva, Lord Vishnu found the last or
'thousandth' lotus missing. Vishnu, whose eyes are often compared to lotuses,
plucked one of them and offers it to Shiva. Lord Shiva becoming intensely
pleased with His love and restored Vishnu's eye and rewarded Him the Sudarshana chakra, Vishnu's discus and
sacred weapon.
Worship rituals
Devotees of Lord Vishnu offer Him
one thousand lotuses while reciting the Vishnu sahasranama, the thousand names
of Vishnu. The Vishnupada Temple, which is believed to have footprints of
Vishnu, celebrates its main temple festival in this period. The festival is
also celebrated as Karthika snana by
Vishnu devotees. In Rishikesh, this
day is observed as Deepa Daana Mahotsava
to mark the occasion of Vishnu waking up, out of his deep sleep. As a mark of
environmental awareness, the deeps or lamps are made of flour (which would
disintegrate in water) instead of burnt earthen lamps. The lighted lamps are
floated in the holy Ganges River in the evening. This is accompanied by several
cultural festivities.
On this occasion, Lord Vishnu is
given a special place of honour in the sanctum of Kashi Vishwanath temple, a
prominent Shiva temple in Varanasi. The temple is described as Vaikunta on this
day. Both the deities are duly worshipped as though they are worshipping each
other. Devotees start the pujas after taking baths, fasting for the whole day.
It is also prominently celebrated in Vishnu temples like Srirangam (Tamil Nadu), Tirupati Srinivasa temple (Andhra Pradesh), Udupi Sri Krishna Mutt (Karnataka) and many more.