2023 Durga Puja Date - [] 2023: Medical Portal in India

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How many days are there in Durga Puja 2023?

Durga Puja is celebrated in the Hindu calendar month of Ashvin, which falls in September or October. This is a 10-day festival which, this year, starts on October 22. The first nine days are called “Navratri.” People offer prayers (puja) to Goddess Durga for slaying the buffalo demon Mahishasur.

What is the theme of Sreebhumi Durga Puja 2023?

Sree Bhumi Sporting Club’s 2023 Durga Puja Theme Is “Disneyland”! – Picture credit- Wikimedia Commons Both Durga Puja and Disneyland are two of the most iconic things in their respective ways and we can only imagine the grandeur and charisma of both these things coming together. Preparations to welcome Maa Durga with her children are going on in full swing at Lake Town’s Sree Bhumi Sporting Club. Picture credit- Debaditya Basu The doors to the pandal here open before Durga Puja itself so that devotees from all around can start experiencing its magic before itself. Sree Bhumi Sporting Club surely puts its best efforts to take a step ahead of the previous year and present more extravagance.

What time is Durga Puja Sandhi Puja in 2023?

20-24 October 2023, Friday-Tuesday – Durga Puja KOLKATA Date and Time Detailed Information 2023 Arrival of Goddess Durga on Horseback, Fal-Dispersal and Departure on Horseback of Goddess Durga, Fal-Dispersal.

KOLKATA Durga Puja DATE and TIME 2023 – INDIAN STANDARD TIME
DATE	TIME	DURGA PUJA
20th Oct’23 Friday (2 Kartik’30)	Sun Rise 5:39am Sun Set 5:06pm Purbanno till 9:28am Shashthi till 9:08pm	SHASHTHI “Kalparambho” Shasthi Puja Within 8:31am Durga Devi “BODHON”, “Amantran” and “Adhibas” In the evening.
21st Oct’23 Saturday (3 Kartik’30)	Sun Rise 5:40am Sun Set 5:05pm Purbanno till 9:28am Saptami till 7:21pm	SAPTAMI Durga Devi “Nabo Patrika”, bathing of “Kola Bou”, “Saptami Puja” 7:05am-9:28am and at Midnight Durga Puja 10:58pm-11:46pm
22nd Oct’23 Sunday (4 Kartik’30)	Sun Rise 5:40am Sun Set 5:04pm Purbanno till 9:28am Ashtami till 5:18pm	ASHTAMI Ashtami Puja Within 9:28am Sandhi Puja 4:54pm-5:42pm Bolidan – after 5:18pm
23rd Oct’23 Monday (5 Kartik’30)	Sun Rise 5:41am Sun Set 5:04pm Purbanno till 9:28am Nabami till 3:04pm	NABAMI Nabami Puja within 7:06am and 8:31am-9:28am
24th Oct’23 Tuesday (6 Kartik’30)	Sun Rise 5:41am Sun Set 5:03pm Purbanno till 9:28am Dashami till 12:42pm	DASHAMI Dashami puja Bisharjan within 7:06am and 8:32am-9:28am

Durga Puja : Shasthi – 2 Kartik 1430 (October 20, 2023 – Friday) “Kalparambho” Shasthi Puja Within 8:31am Durga Devi “BODHON”, “Amantran” and “Adhibas” In the evening. Shasthi is when Goddess Durga descends to earth with her four children Lakshmi, Saraswati, Kartikeya and Ganesh. The colorful idols of the goddess that have been handcrafted and installed for the festival are unveiled on this day. Durga Puja : Saptami – 3 Kartik 1430 (October 21, 2023 – Saturday ) Durga Devi “Nabo Patrika”, bathing of “Kola Bou”, “Saptami Puja” 7:05am-9:28am and at Midnight Durga Puja 10:58pm-11:46pm. Saptami the first day of Durga Puja, is when the holy presence of Goddess Durga is invoked into the idols in a ritual called Pran Pratisthan. Durga Puja : Ashtami – 4 Kartik 1430 (October 22, 2023 – Sunday ) Ashtami Puja Within 9:28am. Sandhi Puja 4:54pm-5:42pm, Bolidan – after 5:18pm. Ashtami is one of the most significant days of Durga Puja. The goddess is worshiped in the form of a young unmarried virgin girl, adorned as Goddess Durga, in a ritual called the Kumari Puja. Durga Puja : Navami – 5 Kartik 1430 (October 23, 2023 – Monday ) Nabami Puja Within 7:06am and 8:31am-9:28am. Navami is the last day of worship, which concludes with a maha aarti (great fire ceremony) to mark the end of the rituals and prayers. Goddess Durga is believed to have killed the buffalo demon Mahishasura on this day, and she’s worshiped in the form of Mahisasuramardini, the Annihilator of the Buffalo Demon. Durga Puja : Dashami – 6 Kartik 1430 (October 24, 2023 – Tuesday ) Dashami puja and Bisharjan within 7:06am and 8:32am-9:28am. Dashami is when Goddess Durga returns to her husband’s abode and the idols are taken for immersion. Married women offer red vermillion powder to the Goddess and smear themselves with it (this powder denotes the status of marriage, and hence fertility and bearing of children). Durga Puja will be Upcoming Years on performed 2024 to 2025. Based on Indian Standard Time: Durga Puja 2024 : 09th – 13th October, 2024 Durga Puja 2025 : 28th September – 2nd October, 2025

What is day 3 of Durga Puja?

Chaitra Navratri 2023 Day 3: Maa Chandraghanta Shubh Muhurat, Puja Vidhi, Samagri, Puja Vidhi And Other Details

By
Fri, 24 Mar 2023 08:39 AM (IST)
Source:JND

THE OCCASION of Navratri is here and celebrations are in full swing. Navratri is a nine-day-long festival celebrated widely in India to worship Goddess Durga. It is considered the most auspicious and revered festival in India and is celebrated with great enthusiasm and devotion.

There is four Navratris that fall in a year, but only two are celebrated widely, which are Shardiya and Chaitra Navratri.
The one that falls in the months of September and October is known as Shardiya Navratri, whereas the one celebrated in the months of March and April is known as Chaitra Navratri.
This year, Chaitra Navratri celebrations began on March 22 across the country.

The third day of Navratri will be celebrated on March 24 in India. The third day of Chaitra Navratri is associated with the worshipping of Goddess Chandraghanta, which is another avatar of Maa Durga. On the third day of Navratri, Maa Chandraghanta is worshipped by the devotees.

How long is Durga Puja?

Rituals and practices – From top left to bottom right (a) Structure of a Durga sculpture-idol being made at Kumortuli ; (b) Lady carrying offerings for the puja ; (c) Sandhi puja on the day of Ashtami ; (d) Immersion of the sculpture-idol on Vijaya Dashami, Durga Puja is a ten-day event, of which the last five days involve certain rituals and practices.

The festival begins with Mahalaya, a day on which Hindus perform tarpaṇa by offering water and food to their dead ancestors.
The day also marks the advent of Durga from her mythological marital home in Kailash.
The next significant day of the festival is the sixth day ( Sashthi ), on which devotees welcomes the goddess and festive celebrations are inaugurated.

On the seventh day ( Saptami ), eighth ( Ashtami ) and ninth ( Navami ) days, the goddess along with Lakshmi, Saraswati, Ganesha, and Kartikeya are revered and these days mark the main days of worship with recitation of scriptures, puja, legends of Durga in Devi Mahatmya, social visits to elaborately decorated and illuminated pandals (temporary structures meant for hosting the puja), among others.

Durga Puja as a harvest festival Om you are rice, Om you are life, you are the life of the gods, you are our life, your are our internal life, you are long life, you give life, Om the Sun with his rays (.) — Hymn to start the Durga Puja, Translator: David Kinsley Durga Puja is, in part, a post-monsoon harvest festival observed on the same days in the Shaktism tradition of Hinduism as those in its other traditions.

The practice of including a bundle of nine different plants, called navapatrika, as a symbolism of Durga, is a testament practice to its agricultural importance. The typically selected plants include not only representative important crops, but also non-crops.

This probably signifies the Hindu belief that the goddess is “not merely the power inherent in the growth of crops but the power inherent in all vegetation”.
The festival is a social and public event in the eastern and northeastern states of India, where it dominates religious and socio-cultural life, with temporary pandal s built at community squares, roadside shrines, and temples.

The festival is also observed by some Shakta Hindus as a private home-based festival. The festival starts at twilight with prayers to Saraswati. She is believed to be another aspect of goddess Durga, and who is the external and internal activity of all existence, in everything and everywhere.

This is typically also the day on which the eyes of the deities on the representative clay sculpture-idols are painted, bringing them to a lifelike appearance.
The day also marks prayers to Ganesha and visit to pandal s temples.
Day two to five mark the remembrance of the goddess and her manifestations, such as Kumari (goddess of fertility), Mai (mother), Ajima (grandmother), Lakshmi (goddess of wealth) and in some regions as the Saptamatrikas (seven mothers) or Navadurga (nine aspects of Durga).

On the sixth day major festivities and social celebrations start. The first nine days overlap with Navaratri festivities in other traditions of Hinduism. The puja rituals involve mantras (words manifesting spiritual transformation), shlokas (holy verses), chants and arati, and offerings.

These also include Vedic chants and recitations of the Devi Mahatmya text in Sanskrit. The shlokas and mantras praise the divinity of the goddess; according to the shlokas Durga is omnipresent as the embodiment of power, nourishment, memory, forbearance, faith, forgiveness, intellect, wealth, emotions, desires, beauty, satisfaction, righteousness, fulfillment and peace.

The specific practices vary by region. The rituals before the puja begins include the following:

Paata Puja : The process of making an idol usually begins with ‘Paata Puja’, on the day of the Rath Yatra that usually takes place around July. ‘Paata’ is the wooden frame that forms the base for the idols.
Bodhana : Involves rites to awaken and welcome the goddess to be a guest, typically done on the sixth day of the festival. The amorphous sight of the goddess is consecrated into a ghata or noggin while the visible sight is consecrated into the murti or idol. These rituals are known as ghatasthapana and pranapratistha respectively.
Adhivasa : Anointing ritual wherein symbolic offerings are made to Durga, with each item representing a remembrance of subtle forms of her. Typically completed on the sixth day as well.
Navapatrika snan : Bathing of the navapatrika with holy water done on the seventh day of the festival.
Sandhi puja and Ashtami pushpanjali : The eighth day begins with elaborate pushpanjali rituals. The cusp of the ending of the eighth day and beginning of the ninth day is considered to be the moment when per scriptures Durga engaged in a fierce battle against Mahishasura and was attacked by the demons Chanda and Munda, Goddess Chamunda emerged from the third eye of Durga and killed Chanda and Munda at the cusp of Ashtami and Navami, the eighth and ninth days respectively. This moment is marked by the sandhi puja, involving the offering of 108 lotuses and lighting if 108 lamps. It is a forty-eight minutes long ritual commemorating the climax of battle. The rituals are performed in the last 24 minutes of Ashtami and the first 24 minutes of Navami, In some regions, devotees sacrifice an animal such as a buffalo or goat, but in many regions, there isn’t an actual animal sacrifice and a symbolic sacrifice substitutes it. The surrogate effigy is smeared in red vermilion to symbolize the blood spilled. The goddess is then offered food ( bhog ). Some places also engage in devotional service.

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Left: Dhak s, played during the pujo; right: Dhunuchi naach on Navami ; bottom: Women taking part in sindoor khela on Vijaya Dashami, 0:47 A 47-seconds sample of dhak playing.

Homa and bhog : The ninth day of festival is marked with the homa (fire oblation) rituals and bhog, Some places also perform kumari puja on this day.
Sindoor khela and immersion: The tenth and last day, called Vijaya dashami is marked by sindoor khela, where women smear sindoor or vermillion on the sculpture-idols and also smear each other with it. This ritual signifies the wishing of a blissful marital life for married women. Historically the ritual has been restricted to married women. The tenth day is the day when Durga emerged victorious against Mahishasura and it ends with a procession where the clay sculpture-idols are ceremoniously taken to a river or coast for immersion rites. Following the immersion, Durga is believed to return to her mythological marital home of Kailasha to Shiva and the cosmos in general. People distribute sweets and gifts, visit their friends and family members on the tenth day. Some communities such as those near Varanasi mark the day after Vijaya dashami, called Ekadashi, by visiting a Durga temple.
Dhunuchi naach and dhuno pora : Dhunuchi naach involves a dance ritual performed with dhunuchi (incense burner). Drummers called dhakis, carrying large leather-strung dhaks create music, to which people dance either during or not during aarati, Some places, especially home pujas, also observe dhuno pora, a ritual involving married women carrying dhunuchis burning with incense and dried coconuts, on a cloth on their head and hands,

What is on 23rd October 2023 in Durga Puja?

Below are the dates when Durga Puja is celebrated in 2023:

Name of the Day	Day	Date
Maha Sashti	Tuesday	16 October 2023
Maha Saptami	Saturday	21 October 2023
Maha Ashtami	Sunday	22 October 2023
Maha Navami	Monday	23 October 2023

Why Durga Puja is different?

So, what actually differentiates the two festivals? We will tell you here: –

Navratri celebration across India revolve around worshipping the nine forms of Goddess Durga on the nine days of Navratri (which translates to nine nights). The celebration ends with the celebration of Lord Rama’s victory over Ravana on Dussehra. Durga Puja, on the other, hand celebrates the victory of Goddess Durga over the demon Mahishasur.Navratri begins with worshipping Shailputri – the first avatar of Goddess Durga whereas Durga Puja begins with Mahalaya, a day when the battle between Durga and Mahishasura began.While Navratri celebration ends with the burning of Raavan effigies on Dussehra; Durga Puja ends with Sindoor Khela, where married women play with sindoor (vermillion) with each other before immersion of idols.During the Navratri celebration, devotees of Goddess Durga do not consume any form of meat, eggs, onion or even garlic for the nine days. However, for Bengalis, the Durga Puja celebration is also about good food that includes non-vegetarian delicacies.

ALSO READ: Navratri: Day-wise Nine Avatars of Goddess Durga Celebration in Eastern India and by Bengalis at large, Durga Puja is their biggest festival. It’s meant for time with family enjoying authentic Bengali dishes. Whatever may be the differences between the festivals, the days of Navratri and Durga Puja are meant to bring people closer in celebration.

Is Durga Puja in UNESCO?

I ndia is a land of festivals that celebrate and manifest its rich culture and diverse traditions. In the Hindu month of Ashwin, or September-October in the Gregorian calendar, we celebrate the Sharad Navratri, popularly known as Durga Puja in East India.

The festival involves worshipping the feminine spirit, which manifests itself in many forms.
Durga Puja is the homecoming of goddess Durga from the sacred mount Kailash to her maternal home.
It encompasses qualities such as strength, transformation, beauty, compassion, and power, reflected in each individual and even the universe.

Considering the many traditional values, workers, artists and sentiments involved, The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has finally included Kolkata’s famed Durga Puja in its Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list (ICH).

What is the date of Navratri in October 2023?

Navratri Date in 2023 – In 2023, the Navratri festival will start on Thursday, the 15th of October, and end on Friday, the 24th of October. The Sharad Navratri festival commences on the first and ends on the tenth day of the lunar month named Ashwin. Dandiya The most common form of dance similar to the Garba is the Dandiya.

Women and girls dressed in Garba attire are invited to the dance event, where they pair up with other women or men and dance with decorated bamboo sticks called Dandiya.
This complicated dance form goes on for hours and is one of the most fun parts of the festival.
Food The Navratri celebrations are always highlighted with a spread of food involving a variety of dishes and desserts.

The food items are strictly vegetarian and involve well-known items such as Samosas, Mutter Panner, Jeera Rice, Chole, and desserts such as Kheer, Jamoons, Rasgullas, and many more. Gifts Gifts are also a significant part of the celebrations. Relatives and friends exchange coins made out of precious metals with sacred inscriptions on them.

What are the colors for Navratri in October 2023?

Navratri Colours 2023 With Date – 9 Dress Colors To Wear During Nine Days Of Navratri 2023 During the nine days of Navratri there is a custom of wearing 9 different colour dress – Sarees (Saree) and Churidar. There are 9 different Navratri colours in 2023.

Pratipada – October 15, 2023 (Sunday) – Orange Dwitiya – October 16, 2023 (Monday) – White Tritiya – October 17, 2023 (Tuesday ) – Red Chaturthi – October 18, 2023 (Wednesday ) – Blue (Royal Blue) Panchami – October 19, 2023 (Thursday) – Yellow Sashti – October 20, 2023 (Friday) – Green Saptami – October 21, 2023 (Saturday) – Grey Ashtami – October 22, 2023 (Sunday) – Purple Navami – October 23, 2023 (Monday) – Peacock Green

The nine colors symbolically represent the nine forms of Goddess Durga that are worshipped during Navratri. The color represents peace and prosperity. It is also associated with the legends of each Goddess. Traditionally the colors change from year to year.

In some regions the form of the Goddess worshipped and name varies from region to region on nine days. Women, girls and children wear the particular color of dress (like Saris (Saree), churidar) on each day of Navratri. Amba, Tara, Shorashi, Bhuvneshwari, Chinnamasta, Bhairavi, Dhoomavati, Bagala, and Matangi are forms of Durga worshipped in Gujarat during the nine days of Navratri.

Amba, Chamunda, Ashtamukhi, Bhuvaneshwari, Upang Lalita, Maha Kali, Jagdamba, Narayani and Renuka are forms of Durga worshipped in Maharashtra and neighboring regions. Parrot Green – Goddess worshipped is Amba. Orange – Goddess Tara in some regions, Chamunda in other places.

Yellow – Goddess Shodashi or Ashtamukhi Sky Blue – Goddess Bhuvaneshwari Pink – Goddess Chinnamasta or Upang Lalita Grey – Goddess Bhairavi or Maha Kali Green – Goddess Dhumavati or Jagdamba Ink Blue – Goddess Bagala or Narayani Royal Blue – Goddess Matangi or Renuka Red – Goddess worshipped is Kamala or Durga (Please note this has nothing to do with deciding the color.) The nine Navratri colors are Red, Orange, Yellow, Sky Blue, Pink, Grey, Green, purple and Royal blue.

(Also Parrot green, white, peacock green etc are found in some years) : Navratri Colours 2023 With Date – 9 Dress Colors To Wear During Nine Days Of Navratri 2023

What is the meaning of Navratri 2023?

Navratri is an important festival for Hindus and it is celebrated in grand style. There are four Navratris in the Hindu calendar. There are two Gupta Navratris in addition to Chaitra and Sharadiya Navratri. Chaitra Navratri is celebrated in March or April, whereas Maha Navratri is celebrated in September or October.

The Chaitra Navratri 2023 will begin on Wednesday, March 22, 2023; the following nine days, till March 31, 2023, holds immense religious significance in Hinduism.
Read Also Happy Chaitra Navratri 2023: Top 50 Wishes, Messages, Quotes and Greetings to share with your loved ones Wish your loved ones with these specially curated messages for Chaitra Navratri 2023.

Navratri Colours 2023: Here is the list of nine colours of Navratri, their significance and all you need to know Navratri Colours: Chaitra navaratri also called vasanta navaratri will be observed from March 22 till March 30. The last day of the navaratri is Ram Navami.

Navaratri celebration includes the use of specific colours for each form of the Goddess.
Happy Chaitra Navratri 2023: Images, Quotes, Wishes, Messages, Cards, Greetings, Pictures Chaitra Navratri is observed in the holy month of Chaitra as per the Hindu calendar.
On the tenth day, Hindus celebrate the birth of Lord Rama as Rama Navami.

Happy Chaitra Navratri 2023: Wishes, Messages, Quotes, Images, Facebook & Whatsapp status We wish our readers a very happy Chaitra Navratri 2023. Chaitra Navratri falls in the month of Chaitra according to the Hindu calendar which corresponds to March-April as per the Gregorian calendar.

The word ‘Navratri’ literally means ‘nine nights’ in Sanskrit, and it is a festival dedicated to the worship of the Hindu goddess Durga and her nine avatars – Durga, Shailputri, Brahmacharini, Chandraghanta, Kushmanda, Skandmata, Katyayani, Kaalratri, Maha Gauri, and Siddhidatri being worshipped.
During Navratri, different types of religious programs are organised across the country.

Shardiya Navratri 2023: Date, Timings (When is Navratri 2023?) The Chaitra Navratri will be observed from March 22, 2023, to March 31, 2023. The Ashtami of the Chaitra Navratri, which is considered to be the most important day of ritual, falls on the 9th day of the Navratri which is on March 30.

Ram Navami, the birthday of Lord Rama is usually on the ninth day of the Navratri festival.
Hence Chaitra Navaratri is also known as Rama Navaratri.
Chaitra Navratri 2023 Date & Time Chaitra Navratri starts Wednesday, March 22, 2023 Chaitra Navratri ends Friday, March 31, 2023 Ghatasthapana Muhurta is on March 22, 06:29 AM to 07:42 AM Pratipada Tithi begins 10:52 PM on March 21, 2023 Pratipada Tithi ends 08:20 PM on March 22, 2023 Chaitra Navratri 2023 Tithi The complete detail of the puja that will be held in these 9 days of Chaitra Navratri is given below: Navratri Day 1 is dedicated to Maa Shailputri Puja which is on Wednesday, 22 March 2023 Navratri Day 2 is dedicated to Maa Brahmacharini Puja which is on Thursday, 23 March 2023 Navratri Day 3 is dedicated to Maa Chandraghanta Puja which is on Friday, 24 March 2023 Navratri Day 4 is dedicated to Maa Kushmanda Puja which is on Saturday, 25 March 2023 Navratri Day 5 is dedicated to Maa Skandamata Puja which is on Sunday, 26 March 2023 Navratri Day 6 is dedicated to Maa Katyayani Puja which is on Monday, 27 March 2023 Navratri Day 7 is dedicated to Maa Kalaratri Puja which is on Tuesday, 28 March 2023 Navratri Day 8 is dedicated to Maa Maha Gauri Puja which is on Wednesday, 29 March 2023 Navratri Day 9 is dedicated to Maa Siddhidatri Puja which is on Thursday, 30 March 2023 Navratri Day 10 is dedicated to Navratri Parana which is on Friday, 31 March 2023 Chaitra Navratri 2023 history The Chaitra Navratri ends with Ram Navami which is the birthday of Hindu god Vishnu’s seventh avatar, Ram.

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Lord Ram was born to King Dasharatha and Queen Kausalya in Ayodhya. Chaitra is the first month of the year as per Hindu calendar. This is also the month of spring. The first day of Chaitra is celebrated as Gudi Padwa in Maharashtra, Ugadi in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh and Puthandu in Tamil Nadu.

Chaitra Navratri 2023 significance Since this Navratri is associated with the birth of Lord Ram, all the places linked to Lord Ram’s birth, exile, and other aspects of life are decorated and people come to these places to worship the god. The prominent places where Chaitra Navratri is mostly celebrated are Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh, Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu, Bhadrachalam in Telangana and Sitamarhi in Bihar.

Here are a few common questions answered with respect to Chaitra Navratri and its date and timing.

When is Chaitra Navratri 2022? Chaitra Navratri 2022 will begin on March 22 and will end on March 31. Why is Chaitra Navratri celebrated? Chaitra Navratri is one of the four navratris Hindu observe in a year. This navratri falls in the auspicious month of Chaitra which is March-April as per the Gregorian calendar. Chaitra Navratri ends with Ram Navami, the birthday of the avatar of Lord Vishnu. This year Ram Navami will be celebrated on March 30. How do people observe Chaitra Navratri? During the Navratri, people abstain from alcohol and non-veg food items and eat sattvik food. People also abstain from the consumption of onion and garlic during this period. Many people also perform rituals and pujas as per Hindu astrology. What are the auspicious timings of Chaitra Navratri 2023? Ghatasthapana Muhurta is on March 22, between 06:29 AM to 07:42 AMPratipada Tithi begins at 10:52 PM on March 21, 2023Pratipada Tithi endsat 08:20 PM on March 22, 2023

What is the colour of Saraswati Puja 2023?

Basant Panchami celebration includes Saraswati Puja, as she is believed to bestow wisdom, knowledge and good fortune on her worshippers but ever wondered why people do it by wearing yellow colour clothes? Here’s all you need to know – The colour yellow has a lot of significance on Basant Panchami, also known as Vasant Panchami, Shri Panchami and Saraswati Panchami, where Hindu devotees celebrate the day by wearing yellow outfits, worshipping goddess Saraswati and eating traditional dishes. School girls prepare kites to fly as they celebrate the Hindu festival of Basant Panchami at a school in Amritsar. Here’s why Hindu devotees wear yellow clothes for Saraswati Puja (Photo by Narinder NANU / AFP) Basant Panchami is celebrated on the first day of spring and this year it will be celebrated on January 26 where across regions, yellow is a key part of festivities be it in attires, decor or food.

Come Basant Panchami and nature wears a golden saree as fields ripple with yellow brilliance in mustard flower, daffodils, marigold or genda, yellow hyacinth, yellow lilies and forsythia shrubs of rural India and there are Saraswati Puja events around the city. Yellow is associated with Saraswati as the colour symbolises knowledge and also denotes mustard fields that are associated with the arrival of spring season hence, yellow flowers and sweets are offered to the goddess as a part of the puja rituals.

Saraswati, the consort of Brahma, is said to have been born on Basant Panchami – the fifth day of the lunar month of Magh (which falls in January-February) and that is why, yellow is the colour of the day, since it represents the season Vasant or spring and Saraswati is worshipped with mainly marigolds while women adorn themselves in shades of the same colour.

Which day is best for Maa Saraswati?

Saraswati
Mantra	ॐ ऐं महासरस्वत्यै नमः, om̐ aim mahāsarasvatyai namaḥ
Symbols	The colour white, lotus, Veena, Saraswati river, books
Day	Friday
Mount	Swan or peacock

Where is Navratri in 2023?

The Chaitra Navratri 2023 will begin on Wednesday, March 22, 2023; the following nine days, till March 31, 2023, holds immense religious significance in Hinduism.
Read Also Happy Chaitra Navratri 2023: Top 50 Wishes, Messages, Quotes and Greetings to share with your loved ones Wish your loved ones with these specially curated messages for Chaitra Navratri 2023.

Navaratri celebration includes the use of specific colours for each form of the Goddess.
Happy Chaitra Navratri 2023: Images, Quotes, Wishes, Messages, Cards, Greetings, Pictures Chaitra Navratri is observed in the holy month of Chaitra as per the Hindu calendar.
On the tenth day, Hindus celebrate the birth of Lord Rama as Rama Navami.

The word ‘Navratri’ literally means ‘nine nights’ in Sanskrit, and it is a festival dedicated to the worship of the Hindu goddess Durga and her nine avatars – Durga, Shailputri, Brahmacharini, Chandraghanta, Kushmanda, Skandmata, Katyayani, Kaalratri, Maha Gauri, and Siddhidatri being worshipped.
During Navratri, different types of religious programs are organised across the country.

Ram Navami, the birthday of Lord Rama is usually on the ninth day of the Navratri festival. Hence Chaitra Navaratri is also known as Rama Navaratri. Chaitra Navratri 2023 Date & Time Chaitra Navratri starts Wednesday, March 22, 2023 Chaitra Navratri ends Friday, March 31, 2023 Ghatasthapana Muhurta is on March 22, 06:29 AM to 07:42 AM Pratipada Tithi begins 10:52 PM on March 21, 2023 Pratipada Tithi ends 08:20 PM on March 22, 2023 Chaitra Navratri 2023 Tithi The complete detail of the puja that will be held in these 9 days of Chaitra Navratri is given below: Navratri Day 1 is dedicated to Maa Shailputri Puja which is on Wednesday, 22 March 2023 Navratri Day 2 is dedicated to Maa Brahmacharini Puja which is on Thursday, 23 March 2023 Navratri Day 3 is dedicated to Maa Chandraghanta Puja which is on Friday, 24 March 2023 Navratri Day 4 is dedicated to Maa Kushmanda Puja which is on Saturday, 25 March 2023 Navratri Day 5 is dedicated to Maa Skandamata Puja which is on Sunday, 26 March 2023 Navratri Day 6 is dedicated to Maa Katyayani Puja which is on Monday, 27 March 2023 Navratri Day 7 is dedicated to Maa Kalaratri Puja which is on Tuesday, 28 March 2023 Navratri Day 8 is dedicated to Maa Maha Gauri Puja which is on Wednesday, 29 March 2023 Navratri Day 9 is dedicated to Maa Siddhidatri Puja which is on Thursday, 30 March 2023 Navratri Day 10 is dedicated to Navratri Parana which is on Friday, 31 March 2023 Chaitra Navratri 2023 history The Chaitra Navratri ends with Ram Navami which is the birthday of Hindu god Vishnu’s seventh avatar, Ram.

Chaitra Navratri 2023 significance Since this Navratri is associated with the birth of Lord Ram, all the places linked to Lord Ram’s birth, exile, and other aspects of life are decorated and people come to these places to worship the god. The prominent places where Chaitra Navratri is mostly celebrated are Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh, Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu, Bhadrachalam in Telangana and Sitamarhi in Bihar.

Here are a few common questions answered with respect to Chaitra Navratri and its date and timing.

What time is Durga Puja Sandhi Puja in 2023?

KOLKATA Durga Puja DATE and TIME 2023 – INDIAN STANDARD TIME
DATE	TIME	DURGA PUJA
20th Oct’23 Friday (2 Kartik’30)	Sun Rise 5:39am Sun Set 5:06pm Purbanno till 9:28am Shashthi till 9:08pm	SHASHTHI “Kalparambho” Shasthi Puja Within 8:31am Durga Devi “BODHON”, “Amantran” and “Adhibas” In the evening.
21st Oct’23 Saturday (3 Kartik’30)	Sun Rise 5:40am Sun Set 5:05pm Purbanno till 9:28am Saptami till 7:21pm	SAPTAMI Durga Devi “Nabo Patrika”, bathing of “Kola Bou”, “Saptami Puja” 7:05am-9:28am and at Midnight Durga Puja 10:58pm-11:46pm
22nd Oct’23 Sunday (4 Kartik’30)	Sun Rise 5:40am Sun Set 5:04pm Purbanno till 9:28am Ashtami till 5:18pm	ASHTAMI Ashtami Puja Within 9:28am Sandhi Puja 4:54pm-5:42pm Bolidan – after 5:18pm
23rd Oct’23 Monday (5 Kartik’30)	Sun Rise 5:41am Sun Set 5:04pm Purbanno till 9:28am Nabami till 3:04pm	NABAMI Nabami Puja within 7:06am and 8:31am-9:28am
24th Oct’23 Tuesday (6 Kartik’30)	Sun Rise 5:41am Sun Set 5:03pm Purbanno till 9:28am Dashami till 12:42pm	DASHAMI Dashami puja Bisharjan within 7:06am and 8:32am-9:28am

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Where does Durga Puja take place?

Regional celebrations and observances – Durga Puja at Bagbajar, Kolkata, example of a sarvajanin barowari puja. There exists variation in worship practices and rituals associated with Durga Puja, as is the case with other Hindu festivals, in the Indian subcontinent. Hinduism accepts flexibility and leaves the set of practices to the choice of the individuals concerned.

Different localized rituals may be observed regionally, with these variations accepted across temples, pandals, and within families.
The festival is most commonly associated with Bengali Hindus, and with the community having variability and differences in practices.
There may exist differences of practice between the puja of theme-based Pandals, family pujas (with puja of erstwhile aristocrat families known as bonedi puja), and community pujas (known as barowari pujas) of neighbourhoods or apartments.

The rituals of the puja also varies from being Vedic, Puranic, or Tantric, or a combination of these. The Bengali Durga Puja rituals typically combine all three. The non-Bengali Durga Puja rituals tend to be essentially Vedic ( srauta ) in nature but they too incorporate esoteric elements making the puja an example of a culmination of Vedic-Tantric practices.

Historical evidence suggests that the Durga Puja has evolved over time, becoming more elaborate, social, and creative.
The festival had earlier been a domestic puja, a form of practice that still remains popular.
But it had also come to be celebrated in the sarvajanin (public) form, where communities get together, pool their resources and efforts to set up pandals and illuminations, and celebrate the event as a “mega-show to share”.

The origins of this variation are unclear, with some sources suggesting a family in Kolkata reviving such celebration in 1411 CE. While other set of sources suggest that a Bengali landlord, named Kamsanarayan, held a mega-show puja in late 16th-century Bengal.

Yet, this festival of Bengal is likely much older with the discovery of 11th and 12th-century Durga Puja manual manuscripts such as Durgotsavaviveka, Durgotsava Prayoga, Vasantaviveka and Kalaviveka,
The rituals associated with the Durga Puja migrated to other regions from Bengal, such as in Varanasi, a city that has historically attracted sponsorship from Hindus from various parts of the Indian subcontinent including Bengal.

In contemporary India, Durga Puja is celebrated in various styles and forms. Left: Durga Puja festivities by dancers and musicians in Calcutta, circa 1830s-40s; Right: Patna style painting of Durga Puja, circa 1809. Durga Puja is a widely celebrated festival in the Indian states of West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh (eastern parts), Assam, and Odisha.

It is celebrated over a five-day period. Streets are decked up with festive lights, loudspeakers play festive songs as well as recitation of hymns and chants by priests, and pandal s are erected by communities. The roads become overcrowded with revellers, devotees, and pandal -hoppers visiting the pandals on puja days.

It often creates chaotic traffic conditions. Shops, eateries, and restaurants stay open all night; fairs are also set up and cultural programmes are held. People form organizing committees, which plan and oversee the pandal during the festivities. Today, Durga Puja has turned into a consumerist social carnival, a major public spectacle and a major arts event riding on the wave of commercialisation, corporate sponsorship, and craze for award-winning.

For private domestic pujas, families dedicate an area of their homes, known as thakur dalan, for Durga Puja where the sculpture-idols for worship is placed and decorated with home-dyed fabric, sola ornamentations, and gold and silver foil decorations.
Elaborate rituals like arati are performed and prasad is distributed after being offered to the deities.

As a tradition, married daughters visit their parents and celebrate the Durga Puja with them, a symbolism alluding to Durga who is popularly believed to return to her natal home during the puja. Durga Puja at the Shobhabazar Rajbari, in Kolkata, example of a bonedi puja. Durga Puja is also a gift-giving and shopping season for communities celebrating it, with people buying gifts for not only family members but also for close relatives and friends.

New clothes are the traditional gift, and people wear them to go out together during Durga Puja.
During puja holidays, people may also go to places of tourist attractions while others return home to spend Durga Puja with their family.
It’s a common trend amongst youngsters and even those who are older to go pandal -hopping and enjoy the celebrations.

The organising committees of each puja pandal hires a purohita (priest) who performs the puja rituals on behalf of the community. For the priests, Durga Puja is a time of activity wherein he pursues the timely completion of Vedic-Puranic-Tantric ritual sequences to make various offerings and perform fire oblations, in full public view, while the socio-cultural festivities occur in parallel.

The complex puja rituals include periods of accurate and melodic scripture recitation.
The puja involves crowds of people visiting the pandals, with smaller groups visiting family pujas, to witness the celebrations.
On the last day, the sculpture-idols are carried out in immersion processions across Bengal, following which they are ritually immersed into rivers or other waterbodies.

The immersion ceremony continues till a couple of days after the last day of puja. Immersion procession for Durga Puja, with the sculpture-idols being carried by people on bamboo poles. According to some scholars, the ritual of immersing the Durga sculpture-idol into the river attracted the attention of colonial era travelers to the Bengal region from Europe, such as Garcin de Tassy and Emma Roberts.

In 1831, Tassy reported that similar rituals were annually observed by the Muslim community in Bengal. Shia Muslims observed Muharram over ten days, taking out processions in memory of the martyrdom of Imam Husayn ibn Ali, and then cast a memorial Imam’s cenotaph into a river on the tenth day. Tassy further stated that the Muslim rituals included the same offerings at the annual observation of Muharram that the Hindu rituals included during Durga Puja.

According to yet other scholars, the ritual of immersion in water by Hindus for Durga Puja in Bengal and Ganesh Chaturthi in the western states of India, may have grown because members of the Hindu community attempted to create a competing procession and immersion ritual to that of Muharram, allowed by the colonial British Indian government in the 19th and early 20th-centuries. Durga Puja in New Delhi, 2014. In Maharashtra, the city of Nashik and other places such as CIDCO, Rajeevnagar, Panchavati, and Mahatmanagar host Durga Puja celebrations. While in Delhi, the first community Durga Puja was organized near Kashmiri Gate by a group of expatriate Bengalis, in 1910, a year before Delhi was declared the capital of British India, Sculpture-idols in Cuttack, Odisha for Durga Puja, bedecked with jewellery. In Odisha, Durga Puja is the most important festival of the people of the state. Durga Puja is a very important festival for Odias, during the 4 days of the festival, the streets of the city turns into a wonderland throughout the state, people welcome the arrival of their maa by rejoicing themselves, eating tasty food, wearing new clothes, seeing different pandals across the city, family gathering and gift givings.

In 2019, ninety-seven pandals in Cuttack alone, Odisha were reported to bedeck respective sculpture-idols with silver jewelry for Durga Puja celebrations; such club of pandals termed regionally as Chandi Medha,
The state capital is famous for the modern themes and creativity In the pandals, while the Western part of the state has a more retro decoration theme to the pandal.

In the northern parts of the state particularly Balasore, Durga Puja is celebrated with much fervor and the Odia diaspora abroad especially in Australia, which originates 95% from the district of Balasore celebrates the puja in the same manner which is done back home in Balasore.

How is Maa Durga coming to earth this year?

Chaitra Navratri 2023 Maa Durga’s Vehicles or Vahan – According to Hindu scriptures, each vehicle of Goddess Durga indicates auspiciousness and inauspiciousness, natural calamity, war, or epidemic. It is believed that if Navratri begins on Sunday or Monday, then Maa Durga arrives with an elephant, whereas if the festival of Navratri begins on Tuesday or Saturday, Maa Durga arrives on a horse.

Rajni Haldar