Mahanavami

Maha Navami, is the ninth day of the Shukla Paksha (waxing phase of moon) of Ashwin month. October 23, Tuesday is the day where this festival is celebrated. Mahanavami is the final day of Navratri Festival. Mahanavami is also the one before the last day of Durga Puja. This nine day festival is most significant festival in India celebrated by Hindus in India.

The Festival Maha Navami vary from region to region where when associated with rituals and celebrations. Maha Navami is determined as Ayudha Puja (Weapons puja). All books, utensils and gear are set aside for puja.

Maha Navami refers to final rituals related with Durga Puja. The Immersion of Durga Murti follows the next day. A major bhog is held on the day and Devotees offers Prasad to Goddess Durga. Food items which are prepared on this day for Goddess Durga will be shared by devotees.

The ritual, sacrifice of animal on this day in some parts of India is discouraged by many people nowadays and is banned by government. But in some rural regions of India is following this ritual in the famous temples of Goddess Durga.

Almost everywhere else but west Bengal, durgapuja means victory of Ram over Ravan. Ravan was killed by Ram on Vijayadashami and this is fabulously narrated through these Ramlilas, folk theatres.

Aparajita (Goddess Durga) is worshipped on this day, by offering her sugarcane stalks. Mahishasura Mardhini Puja is also observed on Mahanavami, Goddess Durga is decorated and worshipped in the form of Mahishasura Mardini alankaram. Matangi Dasamahavidya too, is worshipped on Mahanavami as a part of Dasamahavidya pooja in Navratri. Mukteshwari is the Goddess to be worshipped on mahanavami as part of Saptamatrika and Ashtamatrika puja. As per Hindu beliefs, Durga pooja on Maha Navami is alike to the Durga pooja performed on all nine days of Durga Navaratri.

On this day, Goddess Siddhidatri puja, is also performed, by the Navadurga Shakteya sampradaaya people. Kanya Puja is performed in Bihar, Kashmir, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Bihar, when nine young virgin girls (kumarika), are worshipped, who symbolically represent the nine incarnations of the goddess Durga. Their feet are washed, kumkum applied on the forehead and they are feasted and given gifts and new clothes offered the devotees.

Nine Incarnations of Goddess Durga:-

1.      Goddess Shailputri (Daughter of king of Mountains)
2.      Goddess Brahmacharini
3.      Goddess Chandraghanta
4.      Goddess Kushmanda
5.      Goddess Skandmata
6.      Goddess Kaatyayani
7.      Goddess Kaalratri
8.      Goddess Mahagauri
9.      Goddess Siddhidatri

The Nine Incarnations of Goddess Durga has very significant role during Navratri. Vijaya Dashami or Dussehra follows the next day of Mahanavami. One more festival is celebrated on this day, in some places of Telangana region of Andhra Pradesh, Bathukamma festival is celebrated.

Vijaya Dashami or Dussehra

Dussehra is one of the prominent Festivals of Hindu Religion in India. This festival is mostly celebrated by hindus at the same time in different ways in different parts of India as well as around the world.

As per Hindu autumn calendar in the lunar month of Ashvin or Ashwayuja which falls in months of September or October. After the new moon which falls in Bhadrapada, to the next day or tenth day and culminates the tenth day as Dasara. After the completion of nine days of Navarathri, Vijaya Dashami falls on tenth day, 

At this time, the harvest season begins in India and Goddess Durga is invoked to initiate the new harvest season and achieve the vigor and fertility of soil. Hindus, as per their faith observe Vijaya Dashami through social gatherings and offering Prasadam (Prashad) to gods at home and in temples all over India and Nepal.

As per the History, there were some demons who were very powerful, ambitious and continually tried to capture Heaven and overtake Devas or Gods. During this period whole world was crushed under the dictatorship of demon Mahishasura. All the gods joined their energies to get rid of the demons rule and transferred all their energies to a single mass luminescent energy "Shakti " to kill Mahishasura.

A beautiful virgin with ten hands came out of powerful band of lighting from the mouths of Trimurthi’s (Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva) riding on a lion. Special weapons were received from all the Gods. This battle raged for nine days and Mahishasura was defeated and killed by Goddess Durga on the tenth day of Ashvin Shukla Paksha.

These nine days are called as “Navratri’s and the tenth day as “Vijaya Dashami.”

There are different stories regarding the celebration of this festival. 

1) The Lord's Shakti, Parvati, defeated demon Mahishasur on the 10th day after a 9-day battle. This is cited in the Skanda Puran.

2) On this day Lord Ram vanquished demon Ravan. Therefore people celebrate the Lord's victory by burning Ravan's effigy.

3) Mahaar, Dhaumya rishi’s son married to Shami, daughter of Aarva Rishi of Malwa. Both went to darshan and blessings of Shaunak rishi. On their way, they saw a rishi with trunk head and made fun of him. For which, both (Mahaar & Shami) were cursed into trees by the rishi. For their liberation they prayed to Lord Ganesha. They were blessed by Lord Ganesha that, Mahaar tree and Shami tree will be worshipped from then. Since then, people worship these Mahaar and Shami trees and give their offerings. It is said that this form of worship is equal to shiva’s puja. 

4) As per Skand Puran, another story revealed. Kautsa, who was the poor student of Vishwamitra Maharishi, approached Raghu Raja for wealth, to gift his guru. But Raghu Raja utilized all his resources for Vishwajit yagna by that time. Raghu Raja doesn’t wanted kautsa to leave empty hand, then he forayed into Kuber – the treasurer of the devas. The shami tree was sprinkled with14 crore gold coins by defeated kuber and the poor student gathered them and gifted to his guru. In turn, the poor were gifted with these gold coins by Vishwamitra. Thus, the leaves of shami considered as gold during puja. At this time, Shami tree gifted with wealth, so puja is performed to Shami tree during this festival.

5) A story revealed, when a battle between Arjuna and Duryodhan. Arjuna picked up his weapons hiding behind the Shami tree, to retrieve Virat Raja's cows from him.

Dussehra is the last day of Navratri; during these nine nights and ten days, nine forms of Shakti/Devi are worshiped. It falls on the 10th day of the waxing moon during the Hindu month of Ashvin (around September or October). Dussehra in 2012 is on 24th of October.

Durgashtami 2012 - Durga Ashtami Festival India

Durgashtami, which is popularly called as Durga Pooja is one of the most significant festivals of India. This refers to all six days observed as Mahalaya, Shasthi, Maha Saptami, Maha Ashtami, Maha Navami and Vijayadashami. More than just a festival Durga Pooja is a carnival of life, culture, popular customs and traditions. It is a time relocates, reunion and rejuvenation to love, to share and to care.

It is celebrated with different rituals and festivities; Durga Puja is a most significant Hindu Festival which is celebrated throughout India with various rituals and revels particularly in the eastern part of the country covering the Indian states West Bengal, Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa and Tripura. Mainly in West Bengal and Tripura, Majority of Bengali Hindus living here, Dugastami considered as the biggest festival of the year. Apart from eastern part, this festival in addition celebrated in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Punjab, Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala and more states of india. This festival falls in the month of September/October every year.

 On this day involves the worship of Shakti i.e Goddess Durga (which is a incarnation of Godess Parvati) The story of this festival lays back to the story of Mahisasur, a powerful daemon also called as the Buffalo Daemon. Through several years of intense praying and worship he got blessings from Lord Brahma that no power could making him invincible. But once the great powers were blessed upon him, he started ravaging the entire world and assassinating people and eventually wanted to uproot the deities too. The Gods, finally decided to combine their powers to create a pleasant maiden, and each placed his or her most powerful weapon in one of her ten hands riding a lion. Godess Durga killed Buffalo Daemon and won the paradise back for the Gods. Her return in every year occurs in the Bengali month of Aswin (September-October) commemorates Rama's invocation of the goddess Shakti before he went into fight with Ravana and defeated ravana in the battle.

Godess Shakti is also referred as Amma (means mother) in south india. So many temples are situated in south india devoted to various incarnations of Shakti maa in most villages of this part. Their belief is the Shakti maa is curer of all diseases and protector of the village, punisher of evil people and one who gives welfare to the village.

All pine for the Alpine….

My love-affair with mountain ranges and all things alpine started recently and seems to be growing more passionate and diverse by the day. First, I used to browse the blog-sites and view lots of personal videos of true-travellers’ low-down on high altitudes. Then I remember driving up in the rain to a book store and buying books on mountains of India and the seven summits of the world….just to be able to read about mountains in bed endlessly which is difficult with a laptop. Then came a phase when I started painting, art-journalling and paper-collaging with a central theme of the mountains. By this time….mountain ranges started getting so etched in my mind that I became a virtual curious-tourist so I took a nose-dive into mountaineering and started researching technology that aided humans in discovering and exploring the mountains and their terrain. That’s when I discovered that there is a formal course that teaches the knack of climbing mountains plus all the mountain’s moods which basically decides whether or not one would return from them in one single piece….or…..not at all!

The fact that you’re reading this topic speaks of your ‘inclination’ towards the snowy-slopes. Don’t know which milestone you’re at but maybe you need to lap-up some knowledge and know-how before you sign-up or fizzle-out. Did you know that the Himalayan Institute of Mountaineering in Darjeeling offers month-long and on-field training in Mountaineering and costs less than Rs. 5000??? This should put to rest your delusions that mountaineering is for James Bonds and Yash Chopras. Anybody who has a fetish for adventure of treading lesser traveled angular roads running in his veins, has the grit to take on a risky challenge of climbing unpredictable powder slopes, longs for the adrenalin rush that comes with uncertainty of the mood of the mountains and someone who wants to stand closest to the sky….qualifies!

If you’re that someone or you want to know if you’re that someone….there is one good way to find out. Do what I’m going to do. Enroll for mountaineering training.

My inspiration? Jordan Romero, 13 – world’s youngest climber to summit Mount Everest at 29,035 feet altitude.

Source of my confidence? The 4000+ successful climbers who made it to the top of Mount Everest.

My preparation? Relentless training, gaining 360-degree awareness and focus.

They say the best way to focus on a goal is to visualize your goal frequently by forming mental images of your goal in your brain and by recalling them often in a day.

My method? Come to the Tiger Hill Watch-tower. 4 AM. And see for yourself…..

Courtesy : -Hop Around India Blog