Most Poular Festival in india 🇮🇳
Navratri, (Sanskrit: “Nine Nights”) inHinduism, majorfestivalheld in honour of the divine feminine. Navratri occurs over 9 days during the month of Ashvin, or Ashvina (in theGregorian calendar, usually September–October). It often ends with theDussehra(also called Vijayadashami) celebration on the 10th day. In some parts of India, Dussehra is considered a focal point of the festival, making it effectively span 10 days instead of 9. Additionally, as Navratri depends on thelunar calendar, in some years it may be celebrated for 8 days, with Dussehra on the 9th. There are four similar festivals, also called Navratri, which are held at various stages of the year. However, the early autumn festival, also called Sharad Navratri, is the most significant. It begins on the same day asDurga Puja, a 10-day festival devoted to the victory of the goddessDurga, which is particularly celebrated in certain eastern states.
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Also known as: Navaratri, Sharad Navratri
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The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Last Updated:Nov 11, 2023•Article History
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Navratri, (Sanskrit: “Nine Nights”) inHinduism, majorfestivalheld in honour of the divine feminine. Navratri occurs over 9 days during the month of Ashvin, or Ashvina (in theGregorian calendar, usually September–October). It often ends with theDussehra(also called Vijayadashami) celebration on the 10th day. In some parts of India, Dussehra is considered a focal point of the festival, making it effectively span 10 days instead of 9. Additionally, as Navratri depends on thelunar calendar, in some years it may be celebrated for 8 days, with Dussehra on the 9th. There are four similar festivals, also called Navratri, which are held at various stages of the year. However, the early autumn festival, also called Sharad Navratri, is the most significant. It begins on the same day asDurga Puja, a 10-day festival devoted to the victory of the goddessDurga, which is particularly celebrated in certain eastern states.
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Sanskrit:
In full:Sharad Navratri
Navratri also spelled:Navaratri
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Navratri is celebrated differently in India’s various regions. For many people it is a time of religious reflection and fasting, while for others it is a time for dancing and feasting. Among fasting customs are observing a strictvegetariandiet and abstaining from alcohol and certain spices. Dances performed includegarba, especially inGujarat. Typically, the festival’s nine nights are dedicated to different aspects of the divine feminine principle, orshakti. While the pattern varies somewhat by region, generally the first third of the festival focuses on aspects of the goddessDurga, the second third on the goddessLakshmi, and the final third on the goddessSarasvati. Offerings are often made to the goddesses and their various aspects, and rituals are performed in their honour. One popular ritual isKanya Puja, which takes place on the eighth or ninth day. In this ritual nine young girls are dressed as the nine goddess aspects celebrated during Navratri and are worshipped with ritualfoot washingand given offerings such as food and clothing.
Among some followers of the goddess Durga, who are particularly predominant inBengalandAssam, the festival is known as or coincides with theDurga Puja(“Rite of Durga”). Special images of Durgacommemoratingher victory over the buffalo-headed demon Mahishasura are worshipped daily, and on the 10th day (Dussehra) they are taken in jubilant processions to nearby rivers or reservoirs forimmersionin water. In addition to family observances, thepuja, or ritual, days are also celebrated with public concerts, recitations, plays, and fairs.
In some regions, Dussehra is collected into Navratri, and the entire 10-day celebration is known by that name. Whether throughout the festival or as the 10th day, Dussehra is a time to celebrate the triumphs of good over evil, such as Durga’s victory over Mahishasura. In some parts of India, Dussehra is associated with the victory of the godRamaover the demon-kingRavana. In northern India the Ram Lila (“Play of Rama”) is the highlight of the festival. On successive nights different episodes of the epic poem theRamayanaare dramatized by young actors elaborately costumed and masked; the pageant is always climaxed by the burning of huge effigies of the demons. Athletic tournaments and hunting expeditions are often organized. Some celebrate by erecting bonfires and burning effigies of Ravana, which are sometimes stuffed with fireworks. In many regions Dussehra is considered anauspicioustime to begin educational or artistic pursuits, especially for children.
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Shri Mookambika Temple
Devi's Grace is a book about a Hindu Goddess known as Maa Mookambika Devi, The Universal Mother and Her patris (divine messengers), Late Vishnu S. Nayak and his son- Satyendra V. Nayak, who hail from Bengaluru in Karnataka, India. Part one of the book opens with author-Karen Rajesh's self-admission about her quest for spiritual direction and the all elusive guide and mentor to help lead her to her divine creator. Her joy knows no bounds when she comes across Satyendra V. Nayak who is the son of a great divine messenger, Swamiji of a powerful Hindu goddess known as Maa Mookambika Devi. Karen considers her meeting with Satyendraji fortuitous and is at once drawn to the divine entity called 'Devimaa'. She embarks on a mission to find out as much as possible about the goddess. Her curiosity leads her to delve into the abyss of information about late Swamiji and his initiation as a patri (divine messenger) of Devi. Through the words of Satyendraji (Swamiji's son), Karen finds herself drawn into the amazing world of Devi and Her first patri and his tumultuous metamorphosis from family man to swami, his incredible journey and the miracles he helped perform by the powers invested in him by Maa Mookambika Devi. The latter half of part one is devoted to first hand accounts of the various devotees of Swamiji. Karen visits the Bengaluru temple of Devi, built by Swamiji and finds it all and much more than she expected it to be. She is swept by the emotional tide of love and longing displayed by late Swamiji's devotees and she leaves the temple to return home to Mumbai with feelings of sadness, regret and yearning for a guide and guru like Swamiji. Part two essays Karen's spiritual revelation wherein her prayers are answered by Devi in a beautiful dream and she comes to a happy realisation that her guru and Devi's next patri is none other than Satyendraji (late Swamiji's eldest son). Happy with Devi's choice of a patri, Karen pens down her elated thoughts on paper and when it is read by Satyendraji, he tells her that Devi has chosen her to write a book that would help to spread Her divine message. Deliriously happy, Karen cannot believe her good fortune that not only did she find her guru but she also got the most wonderful platform to showcase her love and devotion to Devi.
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