KarmaVaaniFestival · September–October
Navaratri
Nine nights honouring the Divine Mother in her many forms.
Navaratri spans nine nights of devotion to Durga and her nine forms (Navadurga), celebrating the goddess's victory over the buffalo demon Mahishasura. Regional expressions vary widely, from the Garba and Dandiya dances of Gujarat to the elaborate Golu doll displays of the south. It culminates in Vijayadashami, the day of triumph.
Why it is kept
Sharad Navaratri, the nine nights from the Shukla Pratipada of Ashvina, honours the Divine Mother in her nine forms, the Navadurga. It ends in Vijayadashami, the victory of good over evil.
Step by step
How to observe it
Ghatasthapana on the first day
A kalash is installed and barley is sown beside it, to be tended for nine days as a sign of growth and blessing.
Worship one form of Durga each day
From Shailaputri on the first day to Siddhidatri on the ninth, each day has its own form, colour and offering.
Kanya puja on Ashtami or Navami
Young girls are welcomed as forms of the Goddess, their feet washed, and given food and gifts.
Regional celebrations
Gujarat dances Garba and Dandiya each night; Bengal keeps Durga Puja from Shashthi; the South arranges dolls in a Golu.
Customs differ between regions, communities and families. Where your family or temple has its own way, follow it.
Fasting
Fasting
Many fast all nine days, eating only fruit, milk and fasting foods such as sabudana, kuttu and singhara. Others fast on the first and last days.
Fasts should suit your health. Children, elders, pregnant women and anyone unwell or on medication should eat, or keep a lighter fast; that is the tradition, not an exception to it.
Traditions
- Worship of the Navadurga
- Garba and Dandiya
- Golu displays
- Fasting
पूजा सामग्री
