Guru Purnima Festival

Guru Purnima

India pays homage to all teachers ( gurus ) on the full moon ( purnima ) day of the month of Ashadh (July) . Students visit their elders, teachers and guides, and show their appreciation and respect with gifts of coconuts, clothes and sweets.

Guru Purnima dates back to the time of gurukuls - places in ancient India , similar to boarding schools, where students stayed with their gurus and their families, getting an education that included not just the 3Rs but also spiritual training. Guru Purnima is also known as Vyas Purnima in memory of Ved Vyasa, the sage and guru who wrote the great epic, 'Mahabharatha', the 18 'Puranas' and classified the 'Vedas' of the Hindu Dharma. Religious discourses and public readings of the Bhagwad Gita (the Holy Book of the Hindus) are held.