The full moon day or the Pournami that falls during the ‘Chaitra’ or ‘Chittirai’ month is celebrated as the Chitra Pournami. The members of the family normally make flavored rice, present it to God, and have it in front of the moon in the night. In Tamil & Telugu, it is known ‘Chittrannam’ where ‘Annam’ means rice and it is also known as ‘Nilachoru’ in Tamil. 

Usually, they make tamarind rice which is known as ‘Puliyodharai’ in Tamil, Coconut rice, and Lemon rice on this occasion. They make rice usually in the odd number of 3, 5, or 7. All this is made, and the family goes to the back yard, the courtyard, the first-floor, or in the frontal portion of the house. They sit down, distribute the food in leaves, and eat it. They have a nice time together with the family.

It is a time for good friendship & fellowship and also enjoying the nice, cool evening during the time of hot summer. People are known to perform certain poojas or rituals on the day of Chitra Pournami. The ‘Chitragupta Nomu’ or the ‘Chitragupta Vrata’ is treated important. All of us know that the lord of the netherworld is Dharmaraja, also known as Yama Dharmaraja. He gives us punishments or lets us go free after our lifetime based on the good and the bad deeds done by us. 

His scribe and accountant is the one, Chitragupta. The Chitragupta is the eternal witness to all of us. He writes down all our good and bad deeds completely in a logbook or record. It is a service-record or life-record of ourselves. Chitragupta writes a diary that even we will not be writing, and he reads out the merits and demerits to Yama Dharmaraja when the soul reaches the ‘Yamalokha’ or ‘Narakalokha’. Based on this Yama Dharmaraja punishes the person, or he lets him go off to heaven. 

The common belief is that if we propitiate the deity, he will be kind towards us. If we observe the Chitragupta Vrata and remember him, one will also tend to remember that the good and the bad deeds have a cause and effect on us. Therefore, one shall be extremely careful. This is the greater purpose.

At this time, we must also remember the ‘Garuda Puranam’ which is normally read when someone passes away. It tells us about the punishments given in the underworld for the bad deeds done by the human beings on earth. That record is created and only maintained by Chitragupta. It is time that we avoid all these bad things and try to do good. In order to do that we need to celebrate the Chitra Pournami and the Chitragupta Vratam. Let us all think of Chitragupta everyday, think of good Karma and perform it always. 

These poojas and recipes have been handed over to us for the last thousands of years and people are continuing to celebrate it. On the day of Chitra Pournami, people talk about the valour, good deeds, and great tasks done by our ancestors, mythical, Pauranic or historical heroes which included men and women. The recipes, the methods and everything have been handed to us generation-to-generation from time immemorial.

Girivalam on the day of Chitra Pournami is an auspicious festival at the Annamalaiyar temple in Tiruvannamalai district. Also, popular at River Chitra in the Tirunelveli district. In Coimbatore, the Kamban Kazhagam members discuss ‘Kamba Ramayanam’ on every Pournami and with great enthusiasm on Chitra Pournami. Thousands of devotees from Kerala and Tamil Nadu throng the Mangaladevi temple in the Periyar Tiger Reserve, near Kumily, for the Chitra Pournami. In the Thiruvananthapuram city of Kerala, Chitra Pournami is celebrated for the last 200 years at the Valiya Thottam Bhagavathi Temple in Pachalloor en-route Kovalam.

Let us celebrate Chitra Pournami this year with full gusto!