Navratri means
Nine (Nav) Nights (Ratri). Navratri or the Festival
of Nine Nights from Ashvin
Sud 1 to 9 is devoted to the propitiation of Shakti
or Divine Mother. She represents prakriti, counterpart
of purusha jointly making possible the creation of the
world according to the religious ideology of Goddess
worship. Such worships were prevalent in India even
before the advent of the Aryans, who adopted it as a
religious practice. References in vedas and puranas
confirm this opinion. The main temples of mother goddess
that are visited by multitude of devotees during Navratri
are the shaktipithas, of which there are three in Gujarat.
It is believed that Lord Vishnu had to cut the body
of Sati into pieces to stop the destruction by Shiva
who was perturbed by her death. At fifty-two places
these pieces fell, the three in Gujarat being; Ambaji
in Banaskantha, Bahucharaji in Chunaval and Kalika on
Pavagadh hill in Panchmahals.
This festival is essentially religious in nature. It
is celebrated with true devotion in the various temples
dedicated to the Mother, or Mataji, as she is familiarly
called. In some homes, images of the Mother are worshipped
in accordance with accepted practice. This is also true
of the temples, which usually have a constant stream
of visitors from morning to night.
The Mystical No.
9 of Navratri....
|