Navratri means nine nights. It is a very important festival. People dedicate this festival to Goddess Durga and her different avatars. In this festival, people express their faith and devotion to the Goddess Durga. People celebrate this festival with fasting, dancing, and songs. Navratri is celebrated twice a year, but the main celebration is held in September and October. This festival is celebrated for nine nights and 10 days continuously with great devotion and faith.
Navratri proves to people that they are always protected by divine power. It proves the faith and victory of good over evil. This festival is celebrated in different ways across the world. It is celebrated in Gujarat by Dandiya Rass, and in West Bengal, it is celebrated by Pooja. Navratri is not only a religious festival, but it also promotes culture, unity, and faith
The Story Behind Navratri
Navratri’s story tells about the victory of good over evil. It is an important story in Hindu mythology. There was a king whose name was Mahishasura. He performed a prayer and gained a special power that no man can, or god could defeat him. Because of this, he became arrogant and started troubling the people on earth and the gods in heaven.
All the gods became worried and decided to create a very strong power. Therefore, they combined their divine powers and created Goddess Durga. She possessed great strength, and the gods gave her many divine powers and weapons.
A great war began between Goddess Durga and Mahishasura. The battle continued for nine days and nine nights. During these nine nights of Navratri, Goddess Durga showed her strength, weapons, and courage. Finally, on the tenth day, she defeated Mahishasura. People celebrate this victory as Vijayadashami, which symbolises the victory of good over evil. Therefore, people celebrate Navratri to remember this divine event.
9 Days Of Devi Names
During Navratri, people pray to different forms of Durga each day. People pray to these forms to receive blessings and peace.
- Shailputri –People worship Shailputri on the first day of Navratri. She represents purity and strength. Shailputri means the daughter of the mountain, before shaliputri she was born as a sathi.
- Brahmacharini -People worship Brahmacharini on the second day of Navratri. She symbolises devotion and penance.
Her name means the one who practices deep penance - Chandraghanta –People worship Chandraghanta on the third day of Navratri. She represents bravery and grace. She wears a crescent moon on her head.
- Kushmanda –People worship Kushmanda on the fourth day of Navratri. People believe that she created the universe with her divine smile.
- Skandamata –People worship Skandamata on the fifth day of Navratri. She is the mother of Kartikeya and represents motherhood. People also know Kartikeya as Skanda, which is why she is called Skandamata.
- Katyayani – she was worshipped by people on the sixth day of navrartri She symbolises courage and strength. Her father’s name is Katyayana, that’s why she is known as Katyayani
- Kalaratri –she was worshipped by people on the seventh day of navrartri She removes fear and negativity. She rides on a donkey, and she is very dark in colour, and she is very powerful
- Mahagauri -People worship Mahagauri on the eighth day of Navratri. She represents purity and calmness. Her name means extremely fair and pure.
- Siddhidatri – People worship Siddhidatri on the ninth day of Navratri. She grants wisdom and spiritual powers. Devotees worship her for success, and she also blessed Lord Shiva.
People dedicate the nine days of Navratri to the different forms of Goddess Durga.
Kanya Pooja
People also know Kanya Poojan as Kanjak in Hindu rituals.People worship young girls as a form of Durga. It is specially done in Navratri on the 8th or 9th day, these day also known as asthhmi or navmi. People worshipped 8 or 9. People consider girls who are 2 to 10 years old as Navdurga. Each girl represents a different form of Durga and symbolises respect for girls and women. People also worship one boy as a Langur.
People believe that young girls represent divine power because they are pure. Moreover, Kanya Pooja is also mentioned in several texts of Hinduism, such as the
-Devi Bhagavata Purana
-Kalika Purana
-Markandeya Purana
This text told this worshiped a young girl is equal to worship of the goddess Durga
Final words
People celebrate Navratri with great faith and devotion. It shows the combined power of all gods in one form as Goddess Durga, who represents the different forms of Maha Durga. People celebrate this festival in different ways in different parts of the world, and it also shows respect for girls and women. Mahishasur shows that evilnever win over the good. People believe in divine powers and show their faith in Goddess Durga through Kanya Pujan. People perform this important ritual of Navratri on Ashtami or Navami, which means the eighth or ninth day of the festival.
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