Navratri – the festival of nine nights that celebrates the nine powerful avatars of Goddess Durga, is now on. While the festival involves praying and observing fast for nine days to please the Goddess, it is necessary to know the tales behind the fest too.
The tale of Navratri – What you need to know
- A demon named Mahishasur was blessed with a boon of immortality by Lord Shiva.
- No wound or a weapon would kill Mahishasur.
- Due to the boon, the demon became a terror, harassing people living on the Earth.
- To put an end to their sufferings, Goddess Durga took birth.
- Lord Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva bestowed her with a divine feminine form of strength and power.
- Goddess Durga fought the demon Mahishasur for nine days and on the tenth day, she pierced his chest with her ‘trishul’.
- The end of Mahishasur was celebrated with great fervour. That is why Dussehra, also called Vijayadashmi, marks the conclusion of the nine-day Navratri celebrations
Did you know? Lord Rama worshipped the nine forms of Goddess Durga for nine nights before he killed Ravan.
AD