One of the most sacred Hindu occassions, the
nine-night Navratri festival is dedicated to the worship of Shakti, the
female embodiment of cosmic power. TheHolidaySpot provides you with some
highly interesting facts about the holy Navratri festival to acquaint you
better with the occassion and enhance your knowledge about it. If you find
these Navratri Facts interesting, click here
and share them with your friends and loved ones. Celebrate Navratri with
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Go through these fascinating Navratri Facts and empower yourself
with more knowledge about the festival:
Navaratri is observed twice a year, once in the beginning of
summer and again at the onset of winter.
The word "Navaratri", a conjunction of two words "nava" (meaning
"nine") and "ratri" (meaning "night"), literally means "nine
nights".
Sharad Navratri, Vasant Navratri and Ashada Navratri are the
three main Navratri celebrations in India.
Sharad Navratri is the foremost of the Navratri festivals.
Celebrated during the Hindu Sharad season (September-October), it
celebrates the slaying of demon Mahishasura by Goddess Durga.
Sharad Navratri is observed for nine days and nine nights, with
three days each for the worship of three different aspects of Mother
Shakti - as Goddess Durga for the first three days, as Goddess
Lakshmi for the next three days and as Goddess Saraswati for the
final three days.
Vasant Navratri is celebrated during the Hindu Vasant season
(March- April), and is celebrated in North India.
Ashada Navratri is celebrated during the Hindu Ashada season
(July-August), and is celebrated in Himachal Pradesh.
Nine forms of Mother Shakti(the female form of power) - Durga,
Bhadrakali, Jagadamba, Annapurna, Sarvamangala, Bhairavi, Chandika,
Lalita, Bhavani and Mookambika - are worshipped during the
Navratri. The forms worshipped differ from region to region.
The dates of the Navratri festival are set as per the lunar
calendar. The occassion traditionally commences on Pratipada, the
first day of the bright fortnight of the lunar month of Ashwin.
The Dusshera festival immediately follows Navratri to make a 10
day festive occassion in many places.
