Celebration of Navratri

The word "Navaratri" is a conjunction of two words "nava" (meaning "nine") and "ratri" (meaning "night"). Spread over 9 nights and 10 days, it is one of the most sacred festivals in Hinduism where we worship Goddess Durga or Shakti, which represents the energy of the universe, in her 9 beautiful forms with great reverence. There are various reasons why Navratri is celebrated, and each has its own significance in different parts of India. Let's discuss two of these. Killing of Mahishasura One of the fiercest daemons, Mahishasura undertook severe penance to obtain a boon that he cannot be killed by a male, underestimating at his own cost the power of the female form, and started creating havoc everywhere. To stop him, Shakti took a very beautiful form of Durga and told him that she would marry him if he defeats her in a battle. It is believed that they battled for 9 days, and on the 10th day, Durga killed Mahishasura. Therefore the 10th day is called Vijayadashmi, day of the victory. One of the most famous idols that you see in temples depicts this scene where Mahishasura, in the form of a half bull, is being slayed by Mother Durga.  Lord Rama praying to Goddess Durga Another legend has it that Lord Rama fasted and prayed for 9 days to seek Goddess' blessings to kill Ravana. He kills him on the 10th day, and this day is called Dusshera, the day when the 10-headed Ravana was killed. During the period of 9 days of navratri, 9 forms of Durga, called nav-durga, are worshiped in the following order: During the 9 days, there is a feeling of festivity in the air. Many people fast during the entire period, there are different forms of prayers and lots and lots of varieties of sweets are prepared. Different parts of India celebrate navratri in different styles, the thing that is common is its grandeur and auspiciousness