Maharshi Valmeeki

Valmiki Jayanti

When:
October 9, 2022 all-day
2022-10-09T00:00:00+05:30
2022-10-10T00:00:00+05:30

Valmiki is also known as Maharishi Valmiki and considered as the Adi Kavi i.e. the first poet of Sanskrit language. As per the traditional Hindu calendar, his birth anniversary, which is also known as Valmiki Jayanti, falls on ‘Purnima’ (full moon Day) during the month of Ashwin whereas in the Gregorian calendar it corresponds to the month of September-October.  He was a great sage and author of the epic Ramayana which consists of 24,000 verses and 7 cantos (Kandas) including the Uttara canto. This day is celebrated with dedication in the northern regions of India and is also referred as ‘Pragat Diwas’. Maharishi Valmiki is believed to be the contemporary of Lord Sri Rama which makes it difficult to define the exact timings of his birth as birth era of Lord Sri Rama is also a topic of much debate among modern historians.

As per Ramayana, Shri Rama met Valmiki during his period of exile and interacted with him. Later, Valmiki gave shelter to Devi Sita in his hermitage when Rama banished her. Kusha and Lava, the twin sons of Shri Rama were born in his hermitage. Valmiki taught Ramayana to both twins.

Maharishi Valmiki in his early life was a highway dacoit named Ratnakar, who used to rob people after killing them. It is believed that sage Narada Muni transformed Ratnakar into great devotee of Lord Rama. On the advice of Narada Muni, Ratnakar performed great penance by reciting great Mantra of Rama Nama. After years of meditation, a divine voice declared his penance successful and bestowed him with new name Valmiki, the one who born out of ant-hills.

India is home to several Valmiki temples but the most prominent one is located in Chennai. It is believed that sage Valmiki rested at the spot and later the temple was constructed. The temple is believed to be 1300 years old and stands on the East Coast Road named as Valmiki Nagar. On this day, people pay their respects towards Maharishi Valmiki by parading portraits of him. The procession is called Shobha Yatra.

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