Navaratri Across India

Navratri: A Celebration of Divine Feminine Energy

Navratri spans nine nights and ten days, making it one of the lengthiest Indian festivals. Concluding with Dussehra, Navratri is a time when we honor Goddess Durga in her nine forms over these nine days. The tenth day, celebrated as Dussehra or Vijaya Dashmi, signifies the victory of Lord Rama over Ravana, symbolizing the triumph of good over evil. While theoretically, there are four seasonal Navratri, in practice, it's the post-monsoon autumn festival known as Sharada Navratri that is most widely observed in honor of Maa Durga.

Diverse Navratri Celebrations Across India

1. Maharashtra

Maharashtra marks the beginning of Navratri with Ghatasthapana, meaning 'mounting of a jar.' Rural households install a copper or brass jar filled with water on a small heap of rice placed on a wooden stool. Eight symbols of agriculture, such as mango leaves, coconut, and staple grains, are placed alongside the jar. The family worships this pot for nine days, offering rituals, a garland of flowers, and a naivedya (food offering). They also offer water to sprout the seeds. On the eighth day, a Yajna or Hoam is performed in Goddess Durga's name. On the ninth day, Ghat puja is conducted, and the Ghat is dismantled after removing the sprouted leaves of the grains. On the ninth day, known as Khande Navami, men participate in worshipping various tools, weapons, vehicles, and productive instruments.

2. Gujarat

Navratri is one of the main festivals in Gujarat. Traditional celebrations include fasting for a day or partially for each of the nine days, refraining from eating grains, or consuming only liquid foods. Prayers are dedicated to a symbolic clay pot called 'Garbo,' signifying the womb of the family and the universe. The pot represents the source of life, while the light within symbolizes Shakti (power). Every evening, fasting women offer prayers to the Garbo with oil lamps. The significance of Garbo is celebrated through performing arts on all nine days, including the folk dance of Garba, performed in concentric circles with hand clapping. This dance is accompanied by a live orchestra, seasonal ragas, and devotional songs. Another dance, called 'Dandiya Raas,' uses sticks (Dandiyas). In addition to the dances, there are songs in praise of Goddess Durga known as Navratri ki Aarti, which are sung every evening as part of the rituals and celebrations.

3. Goa

In Goa, some temples and households celebrate Navratri by installing a copper pitcher surrounded by clay in the sanctum sanctorum of Goddess and Krishna temples. This pitcher contains nine varieties of food grains. The celebrations include swinging the image of Goddess in a specially-decorated silver swing, locally known as Makhar in Konkani. For nine nights, the Goddess is swayed to temple music (Ranavadya), while devotees sing Kirtan and wave lamps. The last night of the Goa Navratri festival, known as the Makhar Arati, is a major attraction for devotees and tourists.

4. Eastern India and West Bengal

In West Bengal, Navratri is celebrated as the Durga Puja festival. It commemorates Goddess Durga's battle with the powerful buffalo demon Mahishasura. The last five days of Navratri align with the practices of Durga Puja. On the sixth day, Shashthi, the local community welcomes the Goddess, inaugurating the festive celebrations. The seventh day (Saptami), eighth day (Ashtami), and ninth day (Navami) are marked by the main Durga Puja vidhi, involving the recitation of scriptures, legends of Durga from Devi Mahatmya, and social visits to elaborately decorated temples and Pandals. These days also feature a special festive meal, 'Bhog,' similar to langars in Gurudwaras. As part of the Durga Puja celebration, devotees dressed in traditional attire offer evening prayers and perform Dhunuchi Naach, a dance with earthen lamps. On the tenth day, known as Vijaya Dashami, married women engage in 'Sindoor Khela,' playing with vermilion and applying it to each other's heads and faces. This celebration culminates in a grand procession, where clay statues are ceremoniously carried to a river or ocean coast for a solemn farewell to Maa Durga.

5. North India

In North India, Navratri is synonymous with the numerous Ramlila events. These events involve the enactment of episodes from the story of Lord Rama and Ravana on temporary stages. In 2008, UNESCO recognized Ramlila as an 'Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.' Ramlila is particularly significant in historically important cities such as Ayodhya, Varanasi, Vrindavan, Almora, Satna, Madhubani, and other cities in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bihar, and Madhya Pradesh. At the end of Navratri, on Dussehra, effigies of Ravana, along with his brothers Kumbhakarna and Meghnada, are burned to celebrate the victory of good over evil. A famous Navratri festival organized by the Directorate of Tourism, Jammu, and Shri Mata Vaishno Deviji Shrine Board is attended by hundreds of thousands of devotees in Katra. In other regions, households install a pot, similar to Gujarat, at a sacred place with a lit lamp for nine days. The pot symbolizes the universe, while the continuously lit lamp represents Adishakti, i.e., Maa Durga.

6. South India

In Tamil Nadu, Navratri pays homage to all three Goddesses—Durga, Laxmi, and Saraswati. The three Goddesses are venerated on separate days when friends and families gather to celebrate and exchange gifts and sweets. The Navratri celebration in Tamil Nadu also includes the display of Kolu figurines, which narrate popular legends from the scriptures.

The highlight of Navratri in Karnataka is the Dussehra celebration in Mysore, following the rituals first established by King Raja Wodeyar I in 1610 AD. On the ninth day of the festival, Mahanavami, the royal sword is placed on a throne for worship and is paraded on elephants and horses. On the tenth day, known as Dussehra, a grand procession featuring dancers and musicians accompanies an image of Goddess Chamundeshwari (a form of Durga) mounted on a golden saddle atop an elephant through the city. The world-famous Mysore Palace is adorned and illuminated throughout the festival. In Kerala, Navratri is celebrated by worshipping Goddess Saraswati. Education takes center stage during this time, with people placing books on the altar of the Goddess of Knowledge. On Ashtami (the eighth day of the festival), a prayer ceremony is held, and on the tenth day, the books are taken out and read as part of the ritual. Vijaya Dashmi is considered auspicious for initiating children into writing and reading, a ceremony known as Vidyarambham.

As Navratri approaches, it is believed that Goddess Durga descends to Earth to alleviate the worries of her children residing here. In these auspicious days of Puja, let's pray that she liberates the Earth from the pandemic, and life returns to normal as before. Let's make plans for how we will bounce back, creating a safer and healthier world next year, ready to welcome her with the grandeur and pomp she deserves. With this newfound knowledge of how Navratri holds special significance across various parts and states of India, we can start contemplating the Navratri special festival tours we've been yearning to take next year. Wishing you and your family a very Happy Navratri and Dussehra!