DASARA - NAVARATHRI - OCTOBER 6TH 2011

Dasara is celebrated all over India as a religious as well as a social festival. Nava meansnine and rathri means night and so Navarathri means nine nights. Some call it asNavarathri, some as Vijaya Dashami, and some as Dussehra. Doesn’t matter what you call, does it? This year Dasara is celebrated from September 28th – October 6th 2011. From day one of the festival, it is customary to keep a Kalasha, this is filled with water and 4 betel leaves are arranged as shown below in the pictures. Apply Haldi  , Kumkum and flowers, gejje vastra   as shown again. This Kalasha is kept in front of the Pattada Gombe which is given during the marriage to the bride. This signifies Lord Srinivasa and Goddess Padmavathi. Again, see pictures below. These are decorated with different jewelry, crown, bangles, and dresses every few years.

The pictures were taken this year 2011 during my visit to Bombay. If you are keeping an elaborate Gombe (Dolls), than the Kalasha and the Pattada Bombe are placed on the top shelf. And all other arrangements follow next. Even though all the 10 days and nine nights are important, there are a few major days where pooja is done with great devotion and pomp.

Those days are as follows:

·         Saraswathi Awahana – October 3th

·         Saraswathi Pooja – October 4th. Read all the details about the pooja here.

·         Durgasthami – October 4th

·         Mahanavami – October 5th

·         Vijayadashami – October 6th