Go to :  Index File

Navaratri: Religious fervour marks fest

         New Delhi: The nine-day festival of Navaratri began across the country on Sunday. "Navratri" is celebrated twice in a year, during the spring and the autumn season. The festival, which symbolises the triumph of good over evil, is marked by prayers, processions and musical programmes. Both Lord Rama and goddess Durga are worshipped all over India in different forms. The festival is called Durga Puja in West Bengal while in the rest of the country, it is known as Navratri. Devotees in New Delhi queued up outside the temples early in the morning to pay their obeisance to goddess of power, Durga. Many were seen thronging the marketplace outside the temples buying flowers, fruits and "chunni" to offer to the deity. "I have been coming here for the past 20 years. Whatever I have asked for from the Goddess, I have got," said Renu Sood, a devotee. Anrita Singh, another devotee, said: "My son was very ill, but since I started coming here, all my worries went away." In Varanasi, devotees thronged the holy Ganga river to pray and take a dip. The nine-day festival signifies nine manifestations of Goddess Durga. Durga stands for "shakti" or power. She is depicted as riding a raging lion, holding weapons in her ten hands.
- March 21, 2004