NAVRATRI / MAA DURGA PUJA

Navratri and Durga Puja are two major Hindu festivals celebrated with great enthusiasm across India, though their significance and style of celebration vary across regions.

Navratri, meaning “Nine Nights,” is a festival dedicated to the worship of Goddess Durga in her nine forms. It typically spans nine days and nights and occurs twice a year — Chaitra Navratri (spring) and Sharad Navratri (autumn). The autumn Navratri is more widely celebrated and culminates in Dussehra or Vijayadashami, marking the victory of good over evil.

The chief deity adorned on these days is the feminine principle of the divinity. Therefore, all the forms of Mother Goddesses are heralded, worshiped and adorned on these days. Called as Shakti, the female energy represents the universe, while Shiva represents the consciousness or soul.

Maa Durga is the ultimate source of power who takes care of the entire universe and feeds it. The Navratri festival glorifies the eternal power of Durga and seeks her blessing and protection. As per the legend, there was a demon called Mahishasura who was a terror to all the three worlds.

As per the boons he had received, he could not be killed by any gods, humans or demons except the feminine energy, which he underestimated to be insufficient to vanquish him. To save all the worlds from his captivity, Mother Durga, assumed a terrific form and waged a war against him for nine days and killed him on the tenth day. The word Durga also means the power which destroys misery and sufferings.

A Sanskrit verse heralds Mother Durga as “Durga Dhurgati Nashini”, the one who destroys afflictions. Worshipping Mother Durga on these nine days is said to confer joy, prosperity, wealth, hope, wisdom, success and lasting happiness.

The Navratri festival is a sort of refreshing and recharging one. Homes, educational institutions, businesses and organizations clean their premises and conduct pujas and worship on these nine days.

Some of the key Aspects:

• Goddess Worship: Each of the nine days is dedicated to a different avatar of Durga (Shailaputri, Brahmacharini, Chandraghanta, etc.).
• Fasting and Rituals: Devotees observe fasts and perform daily pujas (prayers) with offerings of flowers, fruits, and sweets.
• Garba and Dandiya Raas: In Gujarat and Maharashtra, it is celebrated with dance forms like Garba and Dandiya Raas, which are performed in groups, with people wearing colorful traditional attire.
• Kanya Pujan: On the eighth or ninth day, young girls are honored as embodiments of the goddess and offered food and gifts.
• Dussehra: The tenth day symbolizes the victory of Lord Rama over Ravana or Goddess Durga over the demon Mahishasura.

Durga Puja celebration :

Durga Puja, particularly prominent in West Bengal, Odisha, Assam, and Bihar, celebrates the victory of Goddess Durga over the buffalo demon Mahishasura. It typically spans five days (Shashthi, Saptami, Ashtami, Navami, and Dashami) but preparation and celebrations can last longer.

Some of the key Aspects:

• Idol Worship: Elaborate pandals (temporary structures) house stunning idols of Durga, along with her children (Lakshmi, Saraswati, Ganesha, and Kartikeya). Devotees visit these pandals to offer prayers and seek blessings.
• Cultural Festivities: Durga Puja is not just a religious event but also a cultural extravaganza. Traditional dances, plays, music performances, and art exhibitions form an integral part of the celebration.
• Anjali and Sindoor Khela: Devotees offer Pushpanjali (flower offerings) on Ashtami, and on Dashami, married women apply sindoor (vermillion) on each other as part of Sindoor Khela, symbolizing the goddess’s departure to her heavenly abode.
• Immersion (Visarjan): The idols are immersed in water bodies, symbolizing Durga’s return to Mount Kailash.

While both festivals celebrate the feminine divine and the triumph of good over evil, Navratri tends to have a more pan-Indian presence, while Durga Puja is particularly grand in Eastern India, especially Kolkata. Both festivals bring communities together and inspire a spirit of devotion and joy.