|
What is Navratri? It actually comes from two words, 'Nav', which means nine and
'Ratri' which translates to nights. So it is the nine days devoted to the propitiation
of Shakti or Divine Mother. She represents prakriti, counterpart of purusha
jointly making possible the creation of the world according to the religious ideology
of Goddess worship. The nine nights are there for us to revel in the knowledge of
the goddesses that live within us imbibing us with their spiritual energy and power.
Used for the good, they help liberate us from the mire of this world.
The main temples of mother goddess that are visited by multitude of devotees during
Navratri are the shaktipithas. One belief is that Lord Vishnu had to cut
the body of Sati into fifty-two pieces to stop the destruction by Shiva who was
perturbed by her death. The main temples are therefore where these pieces of her
body were believed to have fallen. The nine nights are dedicated to the three main
goddesses of Hinduism - Parvati, Lakshmi and Sarasvati. The first three nights are
dedicated to the goddess of action and energy. Her different manifestations Kumari,
Parvati and Kali are worshipped during these days. They represent the three natures/
stages of womanhood - the innocent virgin young girl, caring wife/ mother and the
angry old woman. Lakshmi is worshipped for the next three days in her various aspects
as the goddesses of peace, plenty, fulfillment and bliss. Saraswati, the goddess
of knowledge is worshipped during the final three days of the Navratri.
In various parts of India, the 'Ram-Leela' is performed during Navratri. Ram-Leela
is a stage enaction of the Ramayana, the mythological book on Lord Rama.
The day after Navratri, i.e. 'Dassera' ( tenth day) or 'Vijayadashmi' is observed
. It is believed that on this day, Lord Rama had killed the demon Ravana. So, on
Vijayadashmi, effigies of Ravana are burnt all over India. It marks the victory
of good over evil.
As the case with most festivals today, lots has been added and changed. It has also
been seriously commercialised. So today it is a festival of religious, devotional,
cultural and recreational activities. People enjoy this period's festivities by
dancing them away to the blare of loud music and scant attention is given to the
spiritual aspect of the festival. The Hindus of Gujarat perform their traditional
dances 'Garba' & 'Dandiya-Raas' during Navratri. The women-folk, dresses in traditional
clothing, dance in a circle, singing 'Garbas' (traditional songs and dance). 'Dandiya-Raas'
(rhythmic dance with sticks) is played with 'dandiyas' (wooden sticks). Beautifully
decorated 'mandaps' (stages) are set up for playing garba & dandiya and the mood
is quite colourful.
In West Bengal, Navratri is celebrated as 'Durga-pooja' which is the most important
festival in that part of India. Celebrations of Durga-pooja in Bengal are similar
to celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi in Maharashtra. Idols of Goddess Durga
are worshipped for nine days in beautifully decorated 'pandaals'. It is a public
festival. On the tenth day, the 'Visarjan' or immersion of idols in the sea is performed.
- Anita Ramchandani
Archive
|