10 Indian states and their unique Durga Puja celebrations

Navratri celebrations in different states of India are due to kick-off soon, calling on the people to reassert their faith in the mercy of Divine Mother Durga and her manifestations. Since India is a diverse and multi-cultural country, different states have their share of traditions, rituals, paraphernalia and practices to worship the divine. And those of you wondering about the dates for Navratri 2018, please know that the festival starts October 10 onwards. Ahead, each slide is dedicated to nine Indian states and their Navratri celebrations and the accompanying legends. Glory to the Divine!

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There are striking similarities in the way Durga Puja is celebrated in the states of UP and Bihar, as they feed little girls on the final day of worship.

Highlights: Apart from offering special worship to the goddess in holy shrines, the locals set up a temporary altar of the deity, and recite the scripture Durga Saptashati.

Temples you can visit: Maa Vindhyavasini Mandir Vindhyachal Dham, Mirzapur, Ma Annapurna Temple in Varanasi, Ma Mundeshwari, Kaura.

Grand pandals are set up in different themes every year in West Bengal to enshrine beautiful idols of Durga, Ganesha, Kartikeya, Saraswati and Lakshmi. Priests perform rites as per scriptural injunctions for a period of four days. On Dashami, the Goddess is bidden farewell with pomp and show. Assam, too, follows a similar practice of worshipping the goddess.

Highlights: Go for the Durga Puja experience of Kolkata.

Temples you can visit: Kamakhya Devi in Guwahati, Dakshineshwar Kali in Kolkata.

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Devotees celebrate the Navratri festival in Gujarat by observing fasts and performing the famous traditional dance Garba. The worship is concluded by feeding young girls, and bidding them adieu with money or gifts.

Highlights: Look forward to the evening aarti which is done using a garbi, an earthen pot and diyas – so unique to Gujarat.

Temples you can visit: Amba Devi Temple in Bhavnagar.

The Tamilians worship the three Goddesses: Durga, Saraswati and Lakshmi during the last three days of the Navratri. There is a longstanding tradition of inviting relatives home and presenting them with appropriate gifts.

Highlights: The ritual of Golu is the most interesting feature of the Navratri celebrations. Young girls and women display dolls on a small wooden pavilion that have been passed down from one generation to another.

Temples you can visit: Muppandhal Devi Temple in Aralvaimozhi, Thiruverkadu Devi Karumariamman Temple, Sree Suryamangalam Bagalamukhi Devi Temple.

The citizens of Punjab are as much attached to Durga worship as their brethren in other states. During the nine holy nights, daily jagrans are held in temples. On the day of Ashtami and Navami, the devotees invite young girls in the age group of 5 to 10, and honour them with food, gifts, and money.

Highlights: At the Bara Hanuman Mandir in Amritsar, people who have their wishes fulfilled of having a male progeny, visit the shrine with their son dressed as a langoor, as a gesture of thanksgiving to the deity.

Temples you can visit: Mata Longawali Temple in Amritsar, Chandi Devi Temple and Mansa Devi Temple in Chandigarh.

During the Navratras, it is time for the women of Andhra Pradesh to invoke Mother Gauri, the benign goddess, for blessing them with conjugal bliss. Unmarried girls join the communal worship to seek a spouse of their choice. The festival is called Bathukamma Panduga in the Telugu language which means “Mother Goddess, Come Alive!”.

Highlights: Women create flower stacks in time-honoured style using local flowers for the worship of Mother Divine. On the final day of the fest, this stack is immersed in a lake or a river.

Temples you can visit: Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha temple in Simhachalam, Kanaka Durga Temple in Vijaywada, Sri Veerbhadra Temple in Lepakshi.

The tribals of Bastar hold Navratri celebrations like no other. The festivities last for 75 days and wind up on the thirteenth day of the Shukla Paksha (waxing moon) in the month of Ashwin, with the ritual of Muria Durbar. In earlier days, the Maharaja Durbar of Bastar held a gathering to resolve the issues of the subjects.

Highlights: The idols of Devi Maoli, the tribal Goddess, and her sisters are brought to the Danteshwari Temple in Jagdalpur in heavy chariots made using traditional tools. The brightly-lit procession is held between Bastar and Jagdalpur. Scores of priests engage in supervising the event. This entire fest called Bastar Dussehra is 500-year-old.

Temples you can visit: Danteshwari Temple in Jagdalpur, Amba Devi in Raipur, Chandrahasini Devi in Chandrapur.

In the entire state of Karnataka, the celebrations held in the ancient city of Mysore are peerless. The tradition of Navratri or Nadahabba celebrations was kick-started by the Vijayanagara Dynasty in the 17th century to mark the victory of Durga over the evil demon Mahishasura, after whom the city of Mysore was originally named.

Highlights: The Mysore Palace is decorated like a royal bride with more than a lakh lights on the day of Vijay Dashami – a sight that draws hoards of people from far and wide to witness the delightful scene. A grand Dussehra procession called Jumboo Savari, featuring bejewelled elephants, is held on the streets of Mysore city. Fairs are held in the honour of the Goddess.

Temples you can visit: Chamunda Temple

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As in the case of the Gujjus, the dandiya fever runs high among the Maharashtrians too. The mulgis and manus hit the celebration grounds in festive garb and dandiya sticks to sway on the beats of foot-thumping music. On the day of Vijay Dashami, the effigies of Ravana are burnt to mark the victory of good over evil.

Highlights: Married ladies exchange Navratri greetings by applying haldi (turmeric) and kumkum (vermillion) on each others’ forehead. Buying property, making important business deals and other auspicious works are encouraged.

Temples you can visit: Mumba Devi Temple in Mumbai, Vajreshwari Devi in Vajreshwari, 75 km away from Mumbai, Saptshrungi Devi in Saptshrungi, Nashik.

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Himachal is home to several Devi temples, so it is obvious for the state to rank high when it comes to celebrating the holy nine nights of the Goddess. Navratri celebrations in HP start when the rest of India comes close to winding up the worship. At the Dhalpur Maidan in Kully Valley, Lord Raghunath (Rama) is ritually worshipped along with other deities throughout the nine-day-long fest. The tenth day of the festival is called Kullu Dussehra.

Highlights: The festival drawn close with the burning of a piece of wood and grass on the banks of Beas River, thus signifying the destruction of Lanka in the Ramayana.

Temples you can visit: Naina Devi, Jwala Devi, Chintpurni Devi, Bajreshwarai Devi, Tara Devi.