Navaratri

[Aupmanyav]

Veg days ahead. Jai Maa Durga.

Dharmasthala Temple (Kannada: ಶ್ರೀ ಕ್ಷೇತ್ರ ಧರ್ಮಸ್ಥಳ) (Sanskrit: क्षेत्र धर्मस्थल Kṣētra Dharmasthala) is an 800-year-old religious institution in the temple town of Dharmasthala in Dakshina Kannada, Karnataka, India. The deities of the temple are Shiva, who is referred to as Mañjunatha, Ammavaru, the tirthankara Chandraprabha and the protective gods of Jainism, Kalarahu, Kalarkayi, Kumarasvami and Kanyakumari. The temple is considered unique since it belongs to the Shaiva sect of Hinduism. The priests are Shivalli Brahmins, who are Vaishnava, and the administration is run by a Jain Bunt family called the Pergades.

Ammavaru (Kannada: ಅಮ್ಮಾವರು), according to Hindu belief, is an ancient goddess who laid the egg that hatched Brahma, Shiva and Vishnu. "Amma" means mother. She is thought to have existed before the beginning of time. IMHO, that explains their origins.

 

[Aupmanyav]

Aditi, mother of Adityas - suns (Depicted here with Brahma)

Aranyani: She is a Vedic deity, also described as a dancer. Her ability to feed both man and animals though she 'tills no lands' is what the supplicant finds most marvellous.

Bonobibi (Bengali: বনবিবি, the lady of the forest), also Bandevi, Bandurga and Byaghradevi is a guardian spirit of the forests venerated by both the Hindu and the Muslim residents of the Sundarbans (spread across West Bengal state in eastern India and Bangladesh). She is called upon mostly by the honey-collectors and the woodcutters before entering the forest for protection against the attacks from the tigers. It is believed that the demon king, Dakkhin Rai (the lord of the south), an arch-enemy of Bonobibi actually appears in the disguise of a tiger and attacks human beings.

 

[ShivaFan]

Fantastic Aupmanyav, real enrapturing fascinaturalisms here! Love these Devis, nice to meet some for the first time after the last time, a cherry frubal for you.

 

[Aupmanyav]

Ashapura Mata She is one of aspect devi and one of the principle deity of Kutch. As the name indicates, she is the Goddess who fulfills the wish & desires of all those who trust and believe her. The unique thing about most of the idol of Ashapura Mata is that it has 7 pairs of eyes.

Bagalamukhi or Bagala (Devnagari: बगलामुखी) is one of the ten mahavidyas (great wisdom goddesses) in Hinduism. Bagalamukhi Devi smashes the devotee's misconceptions and delusions (or the devotee's enemies) with her cudgel. Since the Mahavidyas are independently-existing Goddesses, they exist devoid of male counterparts. Thus, Bagalamukhi too is one of the ten forms of the wisdom goddesses, symbolising the potent female primeval force by Her own will.

Bahuchara Mata

Please note that the descriptions (unless mentioned) are from Wikipedia though I am lazily not mentioning it.

 

[Aupmanyav]

Banka-Mundi is a goddess of the hunt and fertility. Hindus worship Banka-Mundi for protection against the wild animals of the forests said to remove fear and provide fertility.

Bhairavi is a fierce and terrifying aspect of the Devi virtually indistinguishable from Kali, except for her particular identification as the consort of the Bhairava. She is also called Shubhamkari, good mother to good people and terrible to bad ones. She is seen holding book, rosary, and making fear-dispelling and boon-conferring gestures. She is also known as Baala or Tripurabhairavi. It is believed that when Bhairavi entered the battle field, her horrible appearance made the demons become weak and very feeble, and it is also believed that most of the demons started panicking as soon as they saw her. The consort of Goddess Bhairavi is Bhairavaan aspect of Shiva.

Bhadrakālī (Sanskrit: भद्रकाली, Tamil: பத்ரகாளி, Telugu: భద్రకాళి, Malayalam: ഭദ്രകാളി, Kannada: ಭದ್ರಕಾಳಿ, Kodava: ಭದ್ರಕಾಳಿ) (literally "Good Kali,") is a Hindu goddess popular in Southern India. She is one of the fierce forms of the Great Goddess (Devi) mentioned in the Devi Mahatmyam. Bhadrakali is the popular form of Devi worshipped in Kerala as Sri Bhadrakali and Kariam Kali Murti Devi. In Kerala she is seen as the auspicious and fortunate form of Kali who protects the good. She is represented with three eyes, and four, twelve or eighteen hands. She carries a number of weapons, with flames flowing from her head, and a small tusk protruding from her mouth. Her worship is also associated with the Tantric tradition of the Matrikas as well as the tradition of the ten Mahavidyas and falls under the broader umbrella of Shaktism.

Bhavani The Tulja Bhavani and another temple in Tuljapur in Osmanabad district of Maharashtra is considered as one of the 51 Shakti Pithas. This temple was built in c. 12th century CE. A Tulja Bhavani temple was built between 1537-1540 CE in Chittorgarh.

Bhavani was the tutelary deity of Shivaji Maharaj, the valiant Maratha ruler and is held in great reverence throughout the state of Maharashtra. Bhavani is considered to be an embodiment of Ugra or ferocity, as well as a Karunaswaroopini - filled with mercy. A number of castes, sub-castes and families from Maharashtra consider her their family deity. Bhavani derives from creation - bhava (to be). Bhavani is also the name of Parvati, Shiva's consort.

First image: Shri Kodungallur Bhagavathy

 

[Aupmanyav]

Nawroz Mubarik. Kashmiri New Year. Also Zoroastrian New Year.

 

[ShivaFan]

This is good research. How did you know all these Devis? It must have come from different sources. Or from one? Have you ever been to a temple for any of them?

 

[Aupmanyav]

List of Hindu deities - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Yes, I have been to many such temples. When we are in such a temple we visualize the primal deity in addition to the form.

 

[Aupmanyav]

Bhūmi (Sanskrit: भूमि), also Bhūmī-Devī (Sanskrit: भूमी देवी), Bhuma-Devi or Bhū-Devī, is the personification of Mother Earth. She is the consort of Varaha (White Boar), an avatar of Vishnu and regarded as the mother of the goddess Sita. When Sita finally leaves her husband Rama, she returns to Bhumidevi. Bhumi Devi is also believed to be one of the two forms of Lakshmi. The other is Sridevi, who remains with Narayana. Bhudevi is the Goddess of Earth, and the fertility form of Lakshmi.

In Hinduism, Bhuvaneśwari (Sanskrit: भुवनेश्वरी) is the fourth of the ten Mahavidya goddesses and an aspect of Devi or Durga as elements of the physical cosmos, in giving shape to the creation of the World. The word Bhuvaneśwari is a compound of the words Bhuvana Iśwari, meaning "queen of the worlds" where the worlds are the tri-bhuvana or three regions of bhūḥ (earth), bhuvaḥ (atmosphere) and svaḥ (heavens).Parvatiis SagunaRūpa of Goddess Bhuvaneswari. Her consort is Shiva.

Brahmani (also known as Brahmi and Brahmayi) is a kind and benevolent aspect of Devi, the Divine mother. Brahmani is associated with the Hindu creator god,Brahma as His Shakti (power). She is one of the seven Mother Goddesses called Matrikas.

Buddhi is a feminine Sanskrit noun derived from the same root as the more familiar masculine form Buddha (*budh- to be awake, to understand, to know). In Hindu mythology, Buddhi is one of the wives of Ganesha. The other two wives are Siddhi (Achievement) and Riddhi (Prosperity).

 

[Aupmanyav]

Balambika (Deity) (also known as "Bala") is a goddess of the Hindu religion, usually found in South India. Her name means "Goddess Of Knowledge", or "Child Goddess". She is pictured as having four arms and a red circle on each palm. She holds what looks like a gold bar and a necklace with two of her arms. Balambika is considered a child, and acts as one, but is said to bring true knowledge, education, wisdom, power and prosperity for a better life. She is sometimes called the goddess of children, and therefore, her temple was constructed to be devoted to children.

Vaishnavi (sanskrit, feminine form of Vaishnava) is a legendary figure in the Hindu tradition and the shakti of Lord Vishnu. According to the legend, she was an incarnation of the Divine Mother Parvathi, or Shakti.

Vaishno Devi, also known as Mata Rani and Vaishnavi, is a manifestation of the Hindu Mother Goddess or Durga. The words "maa" and "mata" are commonly used in India for "mother", and thus are often used in connection with Vaishno Devi. Vaishno Devi Mandir (Hindi: वैष्णोदेवी मन्दिर) is a very popular Hindu temple dedicated to her located at the Trikuta Mountains in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. There is no idol but just three outcrops of rocks which are worshiped.

The Mookambika Devi Temple at Kollur, Udupi District in the state of Karnataka, India, is a Hindu temple dedicated to Mookambika Devi. The legend says that a local demon Kaumasura was living on the site and kept the population of surrounding areas in terror. It was predicted that the demon will be killed by a woman, and, indeed, it was killed by Parvati Devi. The establishment of the temple is attributed to Parameshwara, who has drawn a chakra with his toe.

Yet another legend says that Adi shankara once worshipped goddess Saraswati in order to bring her to Kerala, where none of her temples existed. When Devi answered his prayers, he told her his wish to bring her to kerala. She agreed to come, but only in one condition - that when he was walking she would follow and if he stops and looks back,she will stay there itself and will not continue. Adi shankaracharya agreed. So they started walking down from Kodachadri hills. While walking he could hear the sound of her anklets,so he knew that she was with him. Suddenly,the sound stopped. Adi shankara looked back in intense doubt. When he saw she was still with him, Adi shankara apologized, knowing that he had broken her condition. Devi said from now on she will bless her devotees here, in Mookambika. But he was determined to take her to Kerala. On seeing his determination she said "Fine then. In the morning, for nirmalya darshanam I will reside in Chottanikkara temple in Kerala and bless my devotees"."Then I will return to Mookambika".

 

[Aupmanyav]

Images of "Goddess-Mother" in Okunev art of Minusinsk basin (Krasnoyarsk Oblast), Russia:

Okunevo Culture, Krasnoyarsk Oblast, Russia (25th–19th centuries BC).

 

[DeviChaaya]

It's that time of year again! Navaratri starts this week so I thought I'd just revive an old thread instead of repeatedly creating new ones year in and year out. Who is excited? I most certainly am!

This year I am blessed that I will be spending at least some time in my earthly mother's presence during the festival. While she is here my service will be to her as well as to Devi Ma. I have made a firm plan to attend a temple every day for the nine nights/ten days of the festival. Luckily there are... four temples, all nearby, two of which are closer and two of which are about 20 minutes away. The closest is a Murugan temple. While I'll likely go to that one for morning puja if I have worked a night shift, or am going to be working a night shift, I will attend my usual Sri Durga temple in the evenings.

@Aupmanyav can you ask your wife which is the most important puja? Morning or evening during these nine nights?

 

[Aupmanyav]

My wife does the puja at both times, morning and evening. Generally people consider the morning puja more important. Breakfast after the puja is over. In the evening, she does not go anywhere at that time (say around 7 pm), so that no evening Puja is missed. We are called for prasada after the puja and offer flowers and lamp to the deity. She has gone to Mumbai today to attend year-end death ceremony for a relative but will return on 20th.

Also, I think today is the last day for us for non-vegetarian food. There should be no non-vegetarian food, onions and garlic in the house during the puja days. Also, sour things like pickles will not be permissible. Testing time for people like me.

 

[DeviChaaya]

My wife does the puja at both times, morning and evening. Generally people consider the morning puja more important. Breakfast after the puja is over. In the evening, she does not go anywhere at that time (say around 7 pm), so that no evening Puja is missed. We are called for prasada after the puja and offer flowers and lamp to the deity. She has gone to Mumbai today to attend year-end death ceremony for a relative but will return on 20th.

Also, I think today is the last day for us for non-vegetarian food. There should be no non-vegetarian food, onions and garlic in the house during the puja days. Also, sour things like pickles will not be permissible. Testing time for people like me.

Imagine me, Aup ji, trying to go non-veg when I am very attached to meat. I try to abstain from the spices, etc, during Navaratri but it's very hard and I invariably fail. I just go non-veg these days and ignore the other requisites as for me it is very, very difficult to maintain and I am always accidentally eating the wrong thing!

 

[Aupmanyav]

Devichaya, I am not trying to be vegetarian. It is a compulsion that my wife forces upon me during certain day - Tuesdays, Poornimas and a day before them (for Satyanarayan puja), the month of Shravana, Navaratras, and the Shrāddha days for ancestors. That probably maks 1/3 of the year. Do I have an option? Going to a restaurant and having non-vegetarian food will be cheating and I am not interested in that..

 

[Shantanu]

It's that time of year again! Navaratri starts this week so I thought I'd just revive an old thread instead of repeatedly creating new ones year in and year out. Who is excited? I most certainly am!

Ah my childhood memories of Durga puja in the community and Dusshera festival in Allahabad (India) come flooding back to me. Thanks for this DeviChaaya.

 

[Jainarayan]

I'm not familiar with the customs surrounding Navratri, except that a huge golu is set up in the temple, not unlike this.

And that I volunteer to print 200 4x6" copies of these for the temple. The manager loves them.



Jai Maa!

 

[Aupmanyav]

Daily worship (once or twice in a day), visit to temples and places where festivities take place (generally known as Kali Bari, Kali's home), new clothes, travel (especially for Bengalis and other people of Eastern India for whom it is the biggest festival of the year), avoidance of food other than Sattvik, worship of Kanchakas (nine pre-puberty girls representing the Nav Durgas (every Hindu house-hold will call for them and fete them) on Ashtami (Eighth day), and Vratas.

The Vratas that people keep during Navaratri are varied, fruit dies, one time in a day, or even complete avoidance of grain as in the case of our Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, who would subsist only on lime water for these nine days, not even fruits, irrespective of whether he is visiting the American President or the Russian.

Yogi Adityanath, UP Chief Minister washing the feet of Kanchakas.

 

[Aupmanyav]

See and enjoy:
Cauvery Pushkaram: Celebration of rivers
Kolkata Artists' Street-Sized Rangoli Sums Up Our Excitement For Pujo In The Best Way Possible
#ShubhoMahalaya hashtag on Twitter
Ahead Of Durga Puja, Longest Street 'Alpana' Brightens Kolkata Street

Vishwakarma Puja Pandal

Titarpur: That is where Delhi's Ravana effigis are made, close to where we once lived.

 

[Aupmanyav]

Many people will avoid hair cuts, shaving, nail cutting, during this period - so to say, not the time for personal adornment, not the time to succumb to servility of taste. This is the time for prayers and devotion to God Mother.

Just like in the case of Bengalis, Navratri is the year's major festival in Gujarat also. They celebrate it with the Garba dance in huge assemblages (going into thousands). Girls and even boys will spend thousands of rupees on dressing up, train for the dance for months. For this is also the time when boys and girls will be together and parents will chose life-partners for their children.

Buying