NAVARATHRI

Navratri is a festival of Hindus celebrated with devotion, love and fervour all over India. It is also called as Navratras. The mood of Navratri is very colourful & unique. It incorporates veneration along with commemoration by means of song and dance. Navratri basically means "Nine Nights" ("Nav" meaning nine and "Ratri" meaning nights). These nights are devoted to the reverence of Goddess Durga (Maa Durga) who exists in many forms and is the manifestation of the absolute energy that pervades the Universe. During these days and nights prayers are offered to Mother Goddess. For the devout these days are the sacrosanct for it is during these days when Goddess Durga takes a stock of her devotees and grants all blessings, removes ills and evils and ensures unproblematic life for her devotees.



The Motherhood of God


Navaratri is a festival in which God is adored as Mother. Hinduism is the only religion in the world which has emphasised to such an extent the motherhood of God.


To celebrate a good harvest and to propitiate the nine planets, women also plant nine different kinds of food grain seeds in small containers during these nine days and then offer the young saplings to the goddess.


During this period most of the Hindus go to Temples for prayers. At some places, clay idols of Goddess Durga are adorned with different weapons in her eight arms, riding a lion, with demon Maheshasur lying dead at her feet. For eight days these idols are worshipped and then immersed in river or sea-shore on the ninth day with great fanfare.

This period of Navratri also allows for recitation of sacred scriptures such as Durga Sapshudi from Markanday Puran. This narrates how Goddess Durga was blessed and provided with weapons by our Trinity of Gods to annihilate Maheshasur, the demon who had forced Gods to leave heaven and take refuge on earth. Musical recitations (Kirtans) by famous musicians are offered for the benefit of the Goddess and devotees.