After Raksha Bandhan, Janmashtami, Ganesh Chaturthi, SHRADH and PITRA SHRADH, AATM SHRADH ( doing own Shradh ) and #Adhik Mass, here is #IgnorantHindu with ‘all about NAVRATRI’. If you wish to contribute by writing about one of the Hindu festivals on this platform – please connect. To connect, please send an email. Twitter S_kotnala. In case you want to donate for the time and efforts put in this cause and support it – send an email. Also, I do not have access to photographs of referred festivals, temples, or celebrations. I would welcome getting free pictures/images for use on this blog. Due credit will be given.
WHAT IS NAVRATRI?
The Sharad Navratri- also called NAVRATRI, celebrates the good winning over the evil. In addition to the NINE FORM OF SHAKTI-DURGA, many other gods and Goddesses are revered during Navratri. The Puja of Goddess Sarasvati (Knowledge) happens on the 7th day, and the puja of armaments and tools of once professions; Ayuda Puja, happens on the 9th day.
What Is Special About Navratri during this period?
There are four Navratri’s in a year. NAV- mean new, and Ratri means nights. Navratri also symbolises the change of season.
Sharada Navratri
Post-Monsoon Navratri- also called Sharada Navratri, is the most revered. It is the Autumn Navratri- which falls in Ashwin month ( September- October) – during or after the Autumn Harvest. Culminates into 9th/10day as Dussehra and Durga Puja. It starts the first day of Pratipada of the lunar month of Ashvini- but in 2020- due to Adhik mass– there was a gap between the end of Pitra Paksha and the start of Navratra.
Vasant Navratri
Vasant Navratri is the Spring Navratri- Post-winter Navratri celebrated in Chaitra month- during or after spring harvest. The 9th day is celebrated as RAM NAVAMI- the birth of Lord Rama.
Magha Navratri
Winter Navratri or Magha Navratri falls in winter Magha Month ( Jan-Feb). 5th day of this Navratri is the VASANT / BASANT PANCHAMI – where goddess Saraswati is revered through arts, music, writing, and kite flying. In certain parts of the country, this is also the period where Kama – the Hindu god of love, is revered.
Ashada Navratri
Ashada Navratri falls at the start of the monsoon: in Ashadha (June–July).
What Is The Story Around Navratri?
Navratri Story- I: Legend Of Mahisasura.
Mahisasura, the king of demons, was given a boon of immortality by Lord Brahma. The boon implied that the demon king could only be killed by a woman. With immortality, Mahisasura waged war against the Gods across the three Lok; Bhu Lok ( Earth)- Patal Lok ( the underground) and Dev Lok ( the god abode) and defeated them.
The holy trinity of Lord Shiva, Lord Brahma and Lord Vishnu pooled in their divine powers to give birth to Shakti. She then defeated the buffalo demon after nine nights of intense battle. So Navratri celebrates this fight and the tenth Vijaya Dashami is celebrated as the victory of good over evil.
Navratri Story II – Rama Victory Over Ravana.
Lord Rama attacked Lanka to rescue Maa Sita from Ravana. Before starting the war, Rama worshipped the Goddess to seek her blessings. The puja required 108 lotuses. However, Rama only could arrange for 107 of them. To complete the count, Rama decided to offer one of his eyes which was just like the lotus ( KamalNayanan- eyes like lotus). Maa Durga was happy with Rama’s act of faith and selflessness. She blessed him with her divine ‘shakti’, which helped him ( Good) win over Evil (Ravana).
Navratri Story-III
It is the celebration of Uma, or Durga, the daughter of the king of Himalaya, homecoming with her children. Maa Uma stay for the nine-day with her parents. These are celebrated as Navratri. Nine forms of Maa Durga are worshipped during these nine nights.
Different Ways NAVRATRI is celebrated in India.
Navratri – the 9-day festival culminating in Dussehra is celebrated differently across the nation. Here are some of the descriptions.
EAST AND NORTHEAST.
Navratri is celebrated as Durga Puja, symbolising ten armed Goddess Durga’s victory over demon Mahishasura. Goddess Durga or Shakti, representing the universe’s energy, is worshipped in her nine different forms.
East and especially Kolkata is known for the magnificent celebration of Durga Puja. Here big idols of Maa Durga killing demon Mahisasura are kept for public viewing in Pandals on Saptami, Ashtami, Navami and Dashami- the last four days of Navratri. On the 10th day, the idols are taken for visharjan in nearby waterbodies.
DURGA PUJA experience in Kolkata is an entirely different thing. It is something that one should experience at least once in life. I have been planning for a long, and maybe someday, I will attend Kolkata Durga Puja. The worshippers dance to the beat of ‘dhaak’ (unique drums). People go to Pandals to appreciate the decoration and the idols. And how can one not mention the street food in and around pandals?
NORTH.
In the North, the focus shifts to Dussehra, the victory of Lord Rama over the demon king Ravana. In the nine days of Navratri- Ramlila, the story of Lord Rama’s birth to Vanvas ( going to the forest) – Maa Sita’s abduction and finally, the killing of Ravana is enacted in many places. It culminates with Dussehra on to the 10th day, with Lord Ram killing Ravana. As part of the celebration, Ravana effigy ( mostly filled with crackers) is burnt at many centralised locations in the cities. The Lal Quila Ram Lila and the Ravan Dahan (burning) is famous.
In the North, women fast during Navratri and follow a strict vegetarian diet. ( Rakhi Sinha corrects me by saying in the North, it is males who fast as women are shakti themselves and don’t need to worship. But as males can only do a single task, the rituals and all the work has been offloaded to females)
Most of the families in the North stop eating non-veg from the time of Ganesh Chaturthi or Raksha Bandhan and restart with Dussehra.
KANYA PUJA
In many places, another ritual much revered and followed mainly by the families where women are fasting women is Kanya Puja. Some do it on the 8th day ( Ashtami), and some do it on the 9th Day ( Navami). Nine young girls (pre-pubescent age) are worshipped. The women who have been fasting wash their feet and serve them food. In the end, these little girls are also given a Dakshina ( some money), and their blessing is taken. ( My friend Rakhi Sinha of MSME ENTERPRISE GROUP on WhatsApp corrects me by saying- it is nine girls representing nine shakti and one boy representing Hanuman who is served food during Kanya Pujan)
Kullu Dussehra is the famous Dussehra celebration in the North. It starts on the 10th day of the Navratri and marks the return of Load Rama to Ayodhya. The whole Kullu valley is decorated. A large procession of Durga idols (and of other gods and goddesses) is taken out. Various dance, musical and other cultural shows are organised. The celebration ends with Lankadahan on the banks of River Beas. Like Durga Puja, this is something one should attend.
SOUTH
In Mysore, the royal sword is worshipped on the ninth day of Dasara (Mahanavami). It is taken out in a procession of decorated elephants and horses. The day after Navratri, the traditional Dasara procession is held on Mysore streets on Vijayadashami day. Goddess Chamundeshwari’s image is placed on a golden saddle (hauda) on the back of a decorated elephant and taken on a procession. It is accompanied by tableaux, dance groups, music bands, decorated elephants, horses and camels.
In some of the southern states, children’s books (along with other religious books) are kept in the puja area, and the Goddess of knowledge, Maa Sarawati, is worshipped. The books are taken back on the 10th day. However, in most parts of the country, the placing of the book is a single-day affair on the Maa Sarawati Pujan day- the 7th day of Navratri.
GOLLU/KOLU
In the south (mainly Tamilnadu) Navratri is celebrated with Golu dolls (also called Gollu). They are called Bommala Koluvu in Andhra Pradesh and Gombe Habba or Gombe Totti in Karnataka. Families use miniatures statues of gods, goddesses, animals, birds and other elements to set up a small area with some specific theme in their homes. This set-up is called Kolu. Friends and families are invited ( or as a tradition, they just visit) to visit homes to view the displays. There is an exchange of gifts and sweets.
SriKumar, My friend and IIMA batchmate (1985-87), thanks for sharing the images of the KOLU setup. Srikumar further “Kolu” is the term in Tamil for the dolls arrangement. We believe that the Goddess comes as a little girl on all days of Navratri, so we keep dolls for Her to play with. We usually keep a wooden doll ‘couple’ of a particular traditional make, though size may often differ. Also, chubby ‘Chettiar’ (a business community with common roots with Seth, Sethi, Shetty etc., pan India) is kept. Again, this is a standard traditional design though sizes across the houses may vary. Traditions include the planting of mustard seeds in a very shallow bed. They sprout during the Navratri and are placed near the Kolu.
BATHUKAMMA
In Telangana, the Telugu Hindu women also create Bathukamma a day before Navratri. Bathukamma is an artistic flower decoration during Navratri made mainly using marigold flowers. The turmeric powder idol placed on the floral decoration represents Goddess Gowri, a form of goddess Durga/Parvati. Women dance around the Bathukamma while clapping their hands or sticks and reciting flok songs centred around the powers of Ramayana, Lord Shiva and Maa Gowri. Every night Bathukamma is immersed in the nearby water body ( preferably running water), and a fresh new Bathukamma is made every day. The nine nights of festivity end with Durgashtami, when goddesses Maa Durga is worshipped in the form of Maha Gowri.
WEST
Navratri and the GARBA / DANDIYA, the dance-based celebration through the nine nights in Gujarat, is quite well known. Women light ‘Garbi’ as a remembrance of the womb of the family and universe. Aarti is performed around it with the statue of Goddess Shakti at the centre. In the evening, Gujarat comes alive with Garba and Dandiya in Pandals and mandaps.
In the Malwa Region, people do Shami (Jammi) puja on the 10th day, Dussehra. Leaves of Shami ( Khejri/Rajasthan, Janti/Haryana and Jand/Punjab) are exchanged, and blessings are taken from the elders. and taking blessings of elders.
When Pandavas were to go for the agyatvaas in the 13th year of their vanvas, they kept their weapons with the Shami plant. In agyatvaas, the condition was that they should not be recognised, so they had to leave their weapons. They worshipped the plant before taking back their weapons.
The Nine Forms Of Durga Worshiped During Navratri.
Day 1 – Shailaputri
The first day is associated with Shailaputri (Daughter of Mountain, Shail- mountain), an incarnation of Maa Parvati ( wife of Lord Shiva) and Maha kali. This is Ghastasthapana. She rides the Nandi ( the bull) with a Trishul ( Trident) in her right hand and a lotus in her left. The auspicious colour code of the day is GREY. (alternate- Yellow)
Day 2 – Brahmacharini
On Dwitiya, we worship Goddess Brahmacharini, an incarnation of Maa Parvati. This is her unmarried self. She is the endowment of peace and prosperity and is depicted as walking bare feet and holding a Japa mala and kamandal in her hands. She symbolises bliss and calm. Orange is the auspicious colour of this day. .(alternate- Green)
Day 3 – Chandraghanta
Tritiya commemorates the worship of Chandraghanta. After marrying Shiva, Parvati adorned her forehead with the Ardha Chandra (lit half-moon) and hence the name. She is the embodiment of beauty and is also symbolic of bravery. White is the auspicious colour for the day. .(alternate- Grey)
Day 4 – Kushmanda
Goddess Kushmanda is worshipped on Chaturthi. She is believed to be the creative power of the universe. She is associated with the endowment of vegetation on earth. The auspicious colour for the day is RED. .(alternate- Orange)
Day 5 – Skandamata
We worship Goddess Skandamata on Panchami, the fifth day of Navratri. She drives her name from her son Skanda (or Kartikeya). She rides a ferocious lion has four arms and holds her baby. The colour code for the day is BLUE. .(alternate- White)
Day 6 – Katyayani
Katyayani is the incarnation of Maa Durga, born to sage Katyayana. She is the warrior goddess and is the most violent/aggressive form of Devi Shakti. Maa Durga rides a lion and has four hands. She is also a form of Maha Lakshmi Pink is the auspicious colour of the day. (alternate- RED)
Day 7 – Kalaratri
We worship, Kalaratri, the most ferocious form of Goddess Durga on Saptami. She wears white coloured attire and is depicted with rage in her eyes. her skin is black as Maa Parvati removed her fair skin while killing the demons duo Sumbha and Nisumbha. Colour of the day – Royal Blue. .(alternate- Dark Blue)
Day 8 – Mahagauri
Maa Mahagauri, symbolising intelligence and peace, is worshipped on the eight-day; Ashtami. The colour associated with the day is Yellow. .(alternate- PINK)
Day 9 – Sidhidatri
On the 9th day; Navami, we worship Maa Siddhidhatri ( also called Sri Lakshmi Devi). She sits on a lotus flower. She possesses and bestows all types of Siddhis. The colour of the day is Green. .(alternate- Violet)
WHY ARE THERE TWO COLOUR CODES FOR THE DAY?
The colour codes have not been part of any ancient rituals. This is modern-day marketing. Anecdotal marketing wisdom says, one of the Marathi Newspapers in the last decade introduced colour coding of the 9-days. Now it is a part of the tradition. Feel free to wear any colour. Maybe you could follow what your friend circles tell you or what you get in your WhatsApp group. The powers to be, the Gods, will never discriminate just because you chose a different colour that day.
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REFERRED SITES: Hindustantimes.com, Britanica.com, New18.com, IndianExpress.com, Oyorooms.com, NDTV.com, TimesofIndia.indiatimes.com, drikpanchang.com, Hinduwebsite.com, Rudrakhsa-ratna.com and walkthroughindia.com
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