Atla Taddi 2023 - Date & Timing

Atla Taddi nomu (Telugu:ఉండ్రాళ్ళ తద్దె) is a traditional festival of Andhra Pradesh and is celebrated by Hindu married women to seek blessings of Goddess Gauri for a happy and long married life. This festival is symbolic of the strength of a woman and the effect of her good deeds that benefit her husband.

When is Atla Taddi celebrated?

Atla Taddi is celebrated in the Indian month of Ashwiyuja and falls on the third night after a full moon. According to the Gregorian calendar, it falls in the month of October every year.

Atla Taddi 2023 is on October 31 Tuesday

4 months and 19 days to go for the event

Story behind Atla Taddi

According to mythology, Atla Taddi is a ritual that was suggested by Goddess Gauri to be practiced by all young unmarried girls to seek Her blessings for a suitable bridegroom. In ancient times, a princess of a large kingdom wanted to oblige the Goddess by keeping a fast of Atla Taddi but could not complete it as she fainted out of thirst and hunger. Seeing her condition, her brothers decided to save her and showed her a mirror with the reflection of a fire in it, resembling a full moon.

Many years later, when the princess grew up and a suitable match was being searched for her, no young groom could be traced. At last, her brothers fixed her marriage to an old man. Out of despair and anger, the princess ran away to the forest and started crying under a banyan tree. Seeing her condition, Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati emerged in front of her and explained that since she had not completed the ritual of Atla Taddi well, she was in this situation. Following this incident, the princess went back and completed the rituals of the festival as directed and soon she got married to a handsome, young man of her choice.

Rituals on Atla Taddi

• On this day, all married women along with young girls wake up at dawn and after a holy dip, eat Suddi before sunrise. This consists of rice, curd and a special Gongura chutney.
• They keep a day long fast, not even drinking water till they see and worship the moon in the evening.
• On the eve of Atla Taddi, women and girls apply mehendi on their palms. Married women wear traditional clothes and decorate themselves with jewellery and other signs of a married woman.
• The entire day is spent singing traditional songs of the festival, swinging and preparing special food for the occasion.
• In the evening, the women see the full moon in a body of water and thereby worship Goddess Gauri by offering ten dosas to her.
• Ten dosas and a 'thoram' are distributed among other married women as well.
• For the worship, a 'kalisam' is prepared on rice grains. Other elements in this include coins, flowers, mango leaves, turmeric and kumkum.
• Special dishes like Paltalikelu (a sweet dish made with rice flour, jaggery, and milk), sambar with eleven vegetables and gonghura pachadi are prepared for Atla Taddi.

Important Timings On Atla Taddi 2023