Navratri | What is it | Reason behind celebrating it | It's significance

Navratri

Navratri is a famous festival celebrated by Hindus in India. It is one of the most ancient festivals dating back to dates which are not known. It is a nine-nights and ten- days celebration in which the devotees dance with joy and do fast. The devotees do garba which is the folk dance of Gujarat.

Why is Navratri Celebrated?

The story behind celebrating Navratri is as follows -

A demon named Mahishasura was blessed by the boon of immortality under Lord Brahma's only condition that he could only be defeated by a woman. Mahishasura didn't mind the condition because he thought how would a women be able to defeat him. Due to his boon of immortality he became really confident and attacked the three worlds - earth, heaven and hell. According to the boon he could only be defeated by a woman, so The gods couldn't do a thing against him. The gods were worried and went to the supreme gods- Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva for help. Lord Vishnu took the decision to create a woman. As, Shiva is the most powerful god, he along with Lord Brahma put all their powers in the woman created by Lord Vishnu. She was goddess Durga, who is believed to be the reincarnation of goddess Parvati, the wife of Lord Shiva. Goddess Durga fought with the demon for 15 long days. The battle was so fierce that the three worlds were trembling until the battle was over. When at the 15th day, the demon took the form of a buffalo, she pierced her trident through his chest.

The end of this story.

You would be thinking that if the battle was 15 days long then, why is navratri celebrated for 9 days? Because during the battle the goddess took nine forms. Each form was of a different goddess. The list is as follows-

• First day - Goddess Shailputri 
• Second day - Goddess Brahmacharini
• Third day - Goddess Chandraghanta
• Fourth day - Goddess Kushmanda
• Fifth day - Goddess Skandamata
• Sixth day - Goddess Katyayani
• Seventh day - Goddess Kaalratri
• Eighth day - Goddess Mahagauri
• Final day - Goddess Siddhidatri.

The Navratri festival that celebrates the defeat of Mahishasura by Goddess Durga signifies the victory of good over evil. In some parts of India, people observe fast during Navratri. On the last day the perform puja and break their fast.

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