Navratri’s Fascinating History: Stories You Must Know
‘Tis that time of year when people leave behind their worries and woes and gear up to celebrate the nine powerful avatars of Goddess Durga with fervour. During the nine days of Navratri, each day devotees invoke a different form of the Goddess.
As Indians, we come across numerous Bollywood movie plots that were originally inspired by the drama, appeal and mystic charm of our legends and myths. Just like any other Hindu festival, Navratri too has a few fascinating legends associated with its origin. Each part of India speaks of a unique and interesting history:
Legend of the Mighty Mahishasura (North):
The demon Mahishasura was an ardent devotee of Shiva. As soon as he attained eternity, he went on to slaughtering innocent people with the aim of conquering all three lokas. To save the world from the atrocities of this demon, The Trinity of Shiva, Brahma and Vishnu created a divine warrior, Goddess Durga. Mahishasura, enchanted by her beauty, asked her to marry him. Durga, at this point, struck a deal with the devil; she would marry him only if he could defeat her in battle. Mahishasura accepted the challenge and after a battle spanning 9 days, Goddess Durga decapitated him on the ninth night. These nine days came to be known as Navratri, and the tenth day that brought the triumph of good over evil was called Vijayadashmi.
The Legend of Daksha (East):
The king of the Himalayas, Daksha’s beautiful and virtuous daughter, Uma, was an admirer and worshipper of Shiva. Pleased with her devotion, Shiva finally descends down from the heavens to marry her. Daksha’s disrespect towards Shiva and displeasure with the marriage leads him to break all ties with his daughter. When Uma learnt that her father hadn’t invited Shiva to a yagna he was organizing, she jumped into the yagna’s agnikund, upon which she came to be known as Sati. It is believed that every year from that time, Uma visits her parents’ home during Navratri along with her children, Ganesh, Kartik, Saraswati and Laxmi, and her two friends, Jaya and Bijaya.
The Legend of Rama and Ravana:
In the Hindu epic, Ramayana, Rama invoked the blessings of Goddess Durga to gather the strength to kill Ravana, the demon who had abducted his wife, Sita. The nine nights he spent worshipping Goddess Durga came to be known as Navaratri. On the tenth day, also known as Vijayadashami, good triumphs over evil when Rama finally slays Ravana.
Did you learn some interesting facts about Navratri in this article? If you know of more legends behind the origin of this Hindu festival, please share them with us in the comment section below.
Here’s praying this Navrati brings you happiness, health and good fortune!