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Navratri |
| Navratri epitomizes divinity worship and on the nine nights of the Navratri (meaning nine nights in Sanskrit), nine forms of goddess Durga are worshipped. Navratri is an especially big festival in the western parts of India like Gujarat where the festivities include loads of music and dance besides the traditional and religious elements. Navratri is celebrate twice every year, once at the beginning of summer and once at the onset of winter, marking the two major seasons and seeking the blessings of the goddess for prosperity and opulence in the coming seasons. |
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The Chaitra Navratri is celebrated in the month of March- April and concludes with the Ram Navami. The Sharad Navratri celebrated in the month of October - November culminates in Dusshera or the Vijaya dashami. The nine days of the Navratri culminates into a 10-day affair with the 10th day being known as the vijaya dashami that marks the end of the festivities. The 9 forms of Durga that are worshipped during Navratri are:
- Durga
- Bhadrakali
- Amba
- Annapurna
- Sarvamangala
- Bhairavi
- Chandika
- Lalita
- Bhavani
- Mookambika
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Navratri is observed in every part of the country with special mention being required for the following places:
- Kullu in Himachal Pradesh for its unique Dusshera celebrations
- Mysore in Karnataka for its southern flavours in the festivities of Dusshera
- Kolkata in West Bengal for the vibrant Durga Puja celebrations
- The various cities in Gujarat for the melodious traditional songs and the colourful ‘garba’ dance.
Navratri is both, a religious festival as well as a social one in which people visit each others homes, get together to pray to the goddess and also take part in the garba. This festival no wonder manages to capture the true spirit of all Indian festivals and the onlooker is simply amazed at the liveliness of the ambiance and atmosphere.
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