It is that time of the year when Hindus in India will celebrate one of the biggest festivals – Navratri – with the beginning of Autumn. The festival of Navratri or Durga Puja is celebrated by welcoming the nine forms Goddess Durga, which is said to symbolise divine female energy.
Nav means nine, ratri means night, and that is why the festival is celebrated for nine nights. Navratri – which begins on October 1 this year – is celebrated to honour Goddess Durga’s nine forms. It begins on the first day of the Ashvin month, the seventh month in the Hindu calendar, and concludes on the 10th day with the festival Dussehra, also called as Vijaya Dashami or Dasara.
The festival is celebrated by fasting and playing garba in several regions. One of the important parts of the festival is kanya, kanjak or kumarika puja, which means young girls, ideally nine girls (kumaris), are worshipped. They are worshipped on the eighth or the ninth day of Navratri.
Performers dressed in traditional attire rehearse for Garba, a folk dance, ahead of Navratri, a festival of nine days when devotees worship Hindu goddess Durga, in Ahmedabad, India, September 24, 2016.Reuters
Though the nine-day festival is celebrated across the country, it is Gujarat and West Bengal that are particularly known to celebrate this festival with tremendous fervour.
In West Bengal, it is called as Durga Puja and is considered the most important festival to worship Shakti. It is believed that during these nine days GoddessDurga visits her maternal home after killing the demon – Mahishasura.
In Gujarat, the nine-day festival is celebrated garba and dandiya. Women and men wearing vibrant costumes perform the folk dance in the honour of GoddessDurga and her forms.
The festival is celebrated with much fervour in Punjab as well. People in Punjab fast for seven days and break their fast on the eighth day. They also organiseJagraata to worship Goddess Durga and sing bhajans recite aartis throughout the night on the ninth day.
The festival is also celebrated in Himachal Pradesh, but only on the 10th day. It is called Kullu Dusshera and it is believed that Lord Ram returned to Ayodhya after completing the 14 years of (exile) and killing demon Ravana.
Take a look at the photos that show how the nine-day festival dedicated to shakti or the nine forms of Goddess Durga is celebrated in India.
An artisan paints an idol of Hindu goddess Durga at a workshop ahead of the Durga Puja festival in Allahabad, India, September 22, 2016.Reuters
An idol of Hindu goddess Durga is being loaded onto a boat to transport it through the waters of river Ganga to a pandal, or a temporary platform, ahead of the Durga Puja festival in Kolkata, India, September 29, 2016.Reuters
Women dressed in traditional attire pose after taking part in rehearsals for Garba, a folk dance, ahead of Navratri, a festival when devotees worship the Hindu goddess Durga, in Ahmedabad, India, September 25, 2016.Reuters
An artist applies final touches to a tattoo sketched on the back of a woman in preparations for the upcoming Navratri, a festival when devotees worship the Hindu goddess Durga and youths dance in traditional costumes in Ahmedabad, India, September 26, 2016.Reuters
An idol of Hindu goddess Durga is being loaded onto a boat to transport it through the waters of river Ganga to a pandal, or a temporary platform, ahead of the Durga Puja festival in Kolkata, India, September 29, 2016.Reuters
An artist applies final touches to a tattoo sketched on the back of a woman depicting India and Pakistan flags in preparations for the upcoming Navratri, a festival when devotees worship the Hindu goddess Durga and youths dance in traditional costumes in Ahmedabad, India, September 26, 2016Reuters
The mother of young girls dressed as Kumari applies lip gloss on her daughter before the start of the rituals to commemorate Navratri festival at Adyapith temple on the outskirts of Kolkata, India.Reuters
An artisan hangs decorative pieces at a pandal, or a temporary platform, for the upcoming Hindu festival of Durga Puja, in Kolkata, India, September 25, 2016.Reuters
An artisan works on the frame of an Ambassador taxi to build a pandal, or a temporary platform, in preparation for the upcoming Hindu festival of Durga Puja, in Kolkata, India September 27, 2016.Reuters
Hindu devotees worship young girls dressed as Kumaris during rituals to commemorate Navratri festival inside Adyapith temple on the outskirts of Kolkata, India.Reuters
A woman decorates an earthen pitcher typically used during Garba, a folk dance, inside a workshop ahead of Navratri, a festival during which devotees worship the Hindu goddess Durga and youths dance in traditional costumes, in Ahmedabad, India September 28, 2016Reuters
