Maharaja Agrasen Jayanti 2023: Date, Holiday, Significance, Celebration

Maharaja Agrasen Jayanti or simply Agrasen Jayanti celebrates the birth anniversary of Hindu king Agrasen Maharaja who ruled the kingdom of Aroha (now an archaeological site in Haryana state) more than 5000 years ago. Agrasen Maharaja is believed to be a very generous ruler who was kind not just to humans but to animals as well. In this article, you can find important details related to Maharaja Agrasen Jayanti 2023 like how to celebrate it, its significance and also provides a glance on the life history of Maharaja Agrasen.

Maharaja Agrasen Jayanti 2023 Date

Holiday on Maharaja Agrasen Jayanti

Maharaja Agrasen was born on the fourth day of Ashwin month according to the Hindu calendar that falls in the month of September or October in the Gregorian calendar. Every year, this day is celebrated as Maharaja Agrasen Jayanti.

Agrasen Jayanti is observed as a regional public holiday in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan. Most offices, schools, and banks normally observe a day-off on the occasion of Agrasen Jayanti.

Who was Maharaja Agrasen- Life History & Achievements

Agrasen was born to King Vallabh of Pratapnagar in 3082 BCE and later grew up to become the king of Aroha and is the founder of Agrawal and Agrahari communities in north India. He gained wide popularity as a benevolent ruler who cared for his people and also had great compassion for animals. He did not believed in discrimination on any basis and treated everyone with equal kindness and respect. Agrasen by completely against the slaughter of animals in the form of bali and it is said that when he performed Ashwamedha yajna once, he released the horse meant to be slaughtered, even if it meant that his yajna remained incomplete.

Apart from being a generous ruler and compassionate human being, Agrasen was also a successful business and is believed that it was Goddess Lakshmi herself that asked Agrasen to start a business that would bring prosperity to his people. By the blessings of Goddess Lakshmi, Agrasen not only set up successful business but also established a kingdom where traders flourished, known by the name Agroha. It is also believed that the Agrawal and Agrahari communities founded by Agrasen are still prospering in their business as they followed the same path as Agrasen, which was dictated by Goddess Lakshmi herself. Although there is no proper proof, but it is believed that the famous Agrasen ki Baoli stepwell was originally built by King Agrasen.

Maharaja Agrasen Jayanti Significance

Maharaj Agrasen is known for his humane qualities and also for being a successful businessman. In the words of Mr. Hamid Ansari, former Vice President of India, Agrasen Maharaja taught the lesson of unity and to help each other in the society. It is said that in his kingdom, Agrasen has introduced the concept of ‘one brick and one rupee’, as per which every new family coming to Agroha were given one brick and one rupee from every family living in the city. Using the bricks, the family can build a house for themselves and can do business with the money. In this way, the birth anniversary of Agrasen signifies the importance of being kind and helpful to others and the day is also considered auspicious for starting a new business.

Celebration of Maharaja Agrasen Jayanti 2023

Agrasen Jayanti is a very significant day, especially for the people of Agrawal and Agrahari community and they celebrate this day with great enthusiasm. On this day, colorful procession carrying idols of Maharaja Agrasen and his family is carried out and joined by a large number of devotees. Various cultural programs are conducted throughout the country and charity work like free medical camps, food distribution program, etc are also organized on this day.

There is also a tradition of worshiping Goddess Lakshmi on Agrasen Jayanti and Her blessing is sought for prosperity of business. Devotees from different parts of the country visit Agroha Dham on this day which is a temple dedicated to the Goddess Lakshmi located in Hisar, Haryana. Construction of this temple begin in the year 1976 which marked the 5100^th Agrasen Jayanti. On this day, the Government of India also issued a postage stamp in honor of Maharaja Agrasen.

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