Navaratri: Nine Nights of dance, music and worship.


Beginning on the first day of the bright fortnight of the lunar month of Ashwin, in the month of October the festival of Navratri is time to put all routine and humdrum chores aside and prepare for the nine days of festivity.


This nine-day period from the new moon day to the nineth day of Ashwin is considered the most auspicious time of the Hindu calendar and hence is the most celebrated time of the year.

The festival of Navratri is a blend of various themes, with the common premise of victory of good over evil.

The festival is divided into sets of three days to adore three different aspects of the supreme Goddess. The first three days the Goddess is invoked as a spiritual force called Durga also known as Kali in order to destroy all our adulteration. As per the Puranic legend, the mighty demon Mahisasur defeated the gods and their king Indra. The gods approached Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva requesting the three to kill the demon. The three supreme powers combined their energies and gave rise to Shakti and appealed to her to come to the aid of the Gods.

Equipped with deadly weapons and riding a ferocious lion, the Goddess in all her awe-inspiring magnificence fought the Demon Mahisasur for nine days and night and destroyed him on the tenth day.

The second, three days the mother is acclaimed as a giver of spiritual wealth, Lakshmi. She is considered to have the power of bestowing on her devotees never-ending wealth.

The final three days is for worshiping the Goddess of wisdom, Saraswati. In order to have all round success in life, believers seek the blessings of all three facet of the divine femininity, hence the nine nights of worship.

The 10th day, on which the Goddess kills Mahisasur, is celebrated as Dusshera or Vijaydashmi as the victory of good over evil.

The festival of Navaratri is celebrated in different ways across the length and breadth of the country with same passion and devotion, uniting the entire country!

Next time will share the different ways the festival of Navaratri is celebrated across the country.