As I drove past the river on the long bridge, I witnessed a lot of people praying, On enquiring, I came to know that they were offering “Tarpan” to their forefathers and the “pitra-paksha” had ended and the “Devi-paksha” had started. Inquisitive about this day of Mahalaya, I decided to do some digging and uncovered a few stories and facts about the significance of the festival.
I came to know that we all remember our forefathers and also get ready to welcome our daughter “Uma” for five days and forget the miseries of life. We are rejuvenated and our spirits renewed with the festival of Navratri as we prepare to welcome life again with all its ups and downs. All over India, these nine days are celebrated with great pomp in different ways. In Andhra Pradesh the floral festival of “Batukamma panduga” is celebrated whereas colourful Kolu dolls are on display in Tamil Nadu. While one and all gather to match their paces in their traditional attire from head to toe in Gujarat, “pandal-hopping” is the way to go in the states like Assam, Orissa and Bengal.
Goddess Durga symbolizes the power- Shakti. We all welcome Ma Durga by evoking divinity from within. All over India and in all pandals, Ma Durga is depicted as a powerful woman with Asura (the evil or the vices) at her feet which tells us that our vices have to be destroyed from within. This celebration urges us to take a pledge to be peaceful, powerful, pure and positive and to love and bless all.
MORE POWER TO YOU!