Shardiya Navratri begins !

प्रथमं शैलपुत्री च द्वितीयं ब्रह्मचारिणी।

तृतीयं चन्द्रघंटेति कूष्माण्डेति चतुर्थकम् ।।

पंचमं स्क्न्दमातेति षष्ठं कात्यायनीति च ।

सप्तमं कालरात्रीति महागौरीति चाष्टमम् ।।

नवमं सिद्धिदात्री च नवदुर्गाः प्रकीर्तिताः ।।

Navratri is a vibrant and colourful festival celebrated in Hindu households and temples. Navratri commences on the first day of the waxing phase of the lunar month after Amavasya and concludes on the tenth day of Vijayadashami. Navratri has a deep spiritual significance symbolizing the victory of good over evil.

Navratri is a time when Hindus celebrate the goddess Durga for killing the demon, Mahishasura. A more powerful God, Lord Brahma, had blessed Mahishasura with the gift of immortality because of his dedication to him, which meant he could never die. However, this gift did come with one condition - the only person who would be able to defeat Mahishasura would be a woman. Mahishasura didn't think any women would be strong enough to kill him and was happy with the deal. Over the years, Mahishasura and his men became a powerful force attacking people on Earth and no gods were able to defeat him. Finally, Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva - the three most powerful Hindu gods - decided to come together and create the goddess Durga, a powerful woman whose job would be to destroy Mahishasura. The gods equipped the new goddess Durga with lots of weapons before she went into battle with Mahishasura. Durga fought the demon for 10 days, and it proved quite difficult as he kept changing his form to confuse the goddess. However, when he finally turned into a buffalo, Durga was able to defeat him.

The nine days of Navratri begin today with the worship of Maa Shailputri who mounts the Nandi (bull). Shardiya Navratri falls in September and October. Maa Shailputri is the divine energy of Maa Durga worshiped for spiritual awakening. Her idol is depicted as a Goddess, who is sitting on Nandi bull with a flower in her right hand and trident in the left. Wishing you the energy of Maa Durga, the prosperity of Ma Lakshmi, and the wisdom of Ma Saraswati. Wishing you a warm and blessed Navratri. Have a blessed Navratri!