Nine nights of celebrating the Mother

Sharad Navratri occurs over nine nights during the lunar month of Ashvin and ends on the tenth day, Dussehra.

Though celebrated differently in various parts of our country, it is broadly a time devoted to reverence of the Supreme Female Trinity; the first three nights to the powerful Durga, the next three nights to the benevolent Goddess of wealth Lakshmi and the last three to the dispeller of the gloom of ignorance — Saraswati, the Goddess of knowledge and the arts. It is a time of religious reflection and fasting.

The Goddess is appeased by Garba and Dandiya in the west. In the east, pandals are erected all over for huge idols and community gatherings, along with cultural performances throughout the nine nights. In the south, many households have Golu, their vast collection of dolls collected over the years, decoratively displayed for visitors to admire. In the north chowkis and jagratas are organised, to stay awake all night and sing praises of the Mother. On Ashtami, Kanya puja is a common ritual when eight girls are revered, their feet washed and food and gifts offered to them, in the belief that divinity resides in little girls.

Dussehra or Vijayadashami commemorates the victory of Rama over Ravan, after the former’s penance and prayers to Durga. So, the day before is celebrated as Ayodhya puja where our vehicles and machinery are cleaned, decorated and rested in memory of the weapons that were treated similarly before the battle.

On the first evening of Navratri, Durga’s idol is installed with great pomp and show to invite her to her maternal home, the earth. On the last day of this festive occasion, she is bid farewell and immersed in a water body to send her back to her matrimonial home; but not before worshipping all her forms and thanking her for all the times she rose to the occasion when approached by her helpless male counterparts, to destroy the evil forces.