Story of Navratri (Durga Puja/Dussehra)

-: देवी मंत्र :-

या देवी सर्वभूतेषु माँ रुपें संस्थिता

या देवी सर्वभूतेषु शक्ति रुपें संस्थिता

या देवी सर्वभूतेषु बुद्धि रुपें संस्थिता

या देवी सर्वभूतेषु लक्ष्मी रुपें संस्थिता

नमस तस्ये नमस तस्ये नमो नमः

The festival Navratri is dedicated to Goddess Durga and her nine forms.The literal meaning of navratri in Sanskrit is Nava (nine)+ Ratri (nights).

According to the Hindu lunar calendar, Navratri begins from the first day of the bright fortnight of Ashwin which usually coincides with the end of the rainy season. During these nine nights and ten days, nine forms of Shakti/ Devi i.e. female divinity are worshipped. The Navaratri festival or ‘nine day festival’ becomes ‘ten day festival’ with the addition of the last day, Vijayadashami which is its culmination. On all these ten days, the various forms of Mother Durga (Mahisasura-mardini) is worshipped.

Navaratri is a conglomeration of various themes, with the common theme of the victory of good over evil.

• According to Puran, the mighty demon Mahishasura defeated the gods and their king -Indra. They then approached Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwar, who decided to destroy the demon. So they all combined their energies, and gave rise to Shakti and appealed to Goddess Durga to come to their aid. The battle between devi Durga and demon Mahishasura ended on the 10th day, on which the goddess kills Mahishasura. This day is celebrated as Dusshera or Vijayadashami as the victory of good over evil.

• Ramayana says that when Rama was engaged in the fierce battle with Ravana, he wanted to secure the blessings of victory from Devi Durga. Rama held the puja to evoke the goddess during autumn, thereby worshiping Durga untimely (in Akal). Hence this puja is called Akalbodhon. Vijayadashami or Dusshera is celebrated on the day Lord Ram kills Ravana. Based on this two opinions, the celebrations vary from place to place.

Celebrations in India:

• In the eastern states of India (West-Bengal, Assam, Jharkhand, Orissa, Bihar, Tripura), Navaratri is celebrated in the form of Durga Puja. This festival is essentially religious in nature. Celebrated with true devotion, huge idols of the Goddess Durga posed as killing the demon Mahishasura are worshipped everywhere. Huge 'pandals' are set up and devotees in large numbers visit to worship Goddess Durga. Men, women and children all dress up in new clothes visit different ‘pandals’ to offer prayers to the Mother Goddess.
• In the western states of India (Gujarat and Maharashtra), traditional dances in the form of Dandiya and Garba take place almost everywhere. The dancers move around in a circle, with different steps around a lamp, which signifies the Eternal Light of the Durga.
• In the Kulu valley of Himachal Pradesh, the hill-folk celebrate Dasara with a grand mass ceremony. On the day of Dusshera, village deities are taken out in elaborate processions.
• In Tamil Nadu, the first three days are dedicated to the worship of Lakshmi, the Goddess of wealth and prosperity. During this time they perform puja every night and regular cleaning is maintained all throughout because it is believed that Lakshmi would not enter if the place is dirty. The next three days are devoted to Saraswati, the Goddess of learning and arts and the last three days to Shakti (Durga).
• Navratri is celebrated in Punjab by fasting for seven days. On the eighth day or Ashtami, the fast is broken by worshipping young girls who are believed to symbolize the Goddess herself. This festival is predominantly linked with harvest. The young girls are offered puris (sort of deep-fried Indian bread), halwa (a dessert primarily made of flour and sugar), chanas (Bengal gram) and red chunnis(long scarves).

Today it is being celebrated in all major cities of the world (USA, UK, Canada, France, Germany, Spain, Australia, UAE etc.) In 2006, a grand Durga Puja ceremony was held in the Great Court of the British Museum.