Navratri 2024 - When will start Chaitra Navratri, Know Kalasth Sthpna Puja Mahurat

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Navratri is a Hindu festival that lasts nine days and is dedicated to celebrating Goddess Durga and her nine different avatars that are popularly known as Navdurga. This year, the festival will fall on the 09th of April 2024, bringing joy and fervor to the devotees all across the nation.

Navratri 2024 Date and Time

Chaitra Navratri Muhurat Chaitra Navratri MuhuratChaitra Navratri - Tuesday, April 9, 2024Ghatasthapana Muhurat - 06:11 AM to 10:23 AM

Duration - Duration - 04 Hours 11 Mins

All About the Festival of Chaitra Navratri

This sacred festival occurs during the lunar month of Ashwin in the Sharad Ritu. As a matter of fact, the name of the festival is also inspired by its occurrence in the Sharad Ritu. As the name further suggests, the festival is celebrated over a period of nine nights or nav ratris. Each day is dedicated to the nine different forms of the Goddess Shakti. As per the Gregorian calendar, on the other hand, this festival arrives each year during the months of September or October, and the nine-day-long festivities finally conclude on the tenth day, which is also known as Vijay Dashmi or Dussera.

Navratri Kalash Sthapna Puja Vidhi

This festival is dedicated to the worship of Goddess Durga and her nine forms. Each day is celebrated with a lot of excitement and fervor. The puja vidhi of these days is listed below as well as the special puja process for each day-

• Devotees should get up early in the morning on each day of the festival. Take a bath and wear clean clothes to begin the day.

• Clean the house with holy water while also cleaning the place of worship each day.

• Take a copper kalash and fill it with water. Place mango leaves and a coconut on top of the kalash while making a swastika with roli on the urn.

• Place the idol of the Goddess Durga on a chowki and light a diya next to it. One can also put the images of the nine avatars of the goddess on the chowki alongside the idol of Durga Mata.

• Pray to Lord Ganesha for his blessings for completing the nine days’ vrat and puja without any hassle. 

• Offer fruits, flowers, sweets, and prashad to the goddess on each of the nine days.

• Light an incense stick and perform the aarti dedicated to each avatar of the goddess.

• Join both hands to offer your prayers with sincerity and seek the blessings of the goddess. 

• Recite bhajans and devotional songs of the Devi throughout the day and celebrate the Navratri 2024 date with dedication.

Mentioned below are the special puja rituals for every nine days, dedicated to the nine avatars of Durga Mata-

Day 1: Shailputri Mata: Decorate the image or idol of the Devi with jasmine flowers and recite the following mantras for her blessings:

Ya Devi Sarvabhuteshu Maa Shailaputri Rupena Samsthita

 Namastasyai Namastasyai Namastasyai Namo Namah

Om Devi Shailaputryai Namah

Auspicious Color of the Day- Yellow 
Day 2: Brahmacharini Mata: Offer Panchamrit to the goddess made out of ghee, milk, honey, curd, and sugar. Chant the following mantras for her blessings:

Om Devi Brahmacharinyai Namah||

Om Devi Brahmcharinyai Namah Dadhaanaa Kar Padmaabhyaamakshmala Kamandaloo||

Auspicious Color of the Day- Green 
Day 3: Chandraghanta Mata: She is considered the “suhag ki devi,” so offer her suhag samagree that contains sindoor, bangles, bindi, toe rings, aalta, etc. Chant the following mantra to appease the goddess:

Om Devi Chandraghantayai Namah||

Auspicious Color of the Day- Grey 
Day 4: Kushmanda Mata: She is said to love the Bali of white pumpkin, so offerings of the same are made to the goddess to appease her. She is also offered halwa on this auspicious day. Given below is the mantra to appease her:

Om Devi Kushmandayai Namah॥

Auspicious Color of the Day- Orange 
Day 5:  Skanda Mata: Offer flowers, durva, sandalwood, and sindoor to the mata on this auspicious day. Recite the following mantra to get her blessings:

Ya Devi Sarvabhuteshu Ma Skandamata Rupena Samsthita|

Namastasyai Namastasyai Namastasyai Namo Namah||

Auspicious Color of the Day- White

Day 6: Katyayni Mata
Offer kalava, coconut, and roli to the mata. Seek her blessings by chanting the following mantra:

Om Devi Katyayanyai Namah||

Auspicious Color of the Day- Red

Day 7:  Kalratri Mata
Offer red flowers and jaggery to the Mata along with a garland made out of lemons. Appease the goddess with the following mantra:

Om Devi Kalaratryai Namah||

Auspicious Color of the Day- Royal Blue

Day 8: Mahagauri Mata: Perform Sandhi puja during the last 24 minutes of the Ashtami tithi and the beginning of the Navami tithi as it is considered an auspicious time. Chant the following mantra for best results:

Om Devi Mahagauryai Namah||

Auspicious Color of the Day- Pink

Day 9: Siddhidatri Mata: Offer pan and supari to the mata and read the Shri Durga Saptshati path on this day. Recite the following mantra for added blessings:

Om Devi Siddhidatryai Namah||

Auspicious Color of the Day- Purple

Chaitra Navratri Significance:

During these auspicious nine days, devotees worship the different forms of Durga. The nine different avatars of Durga Mata are listed below-

1. Shailputri
2. Chandraghanta
3. Brahmacharini
4. Skanda Mata
5. Kushmanda
6. Katyayni
7. Mahagauri
8. Kalaratri
9. Siddhidatri

Goddess Durga is a representation of Shakti. She has the combined powers of the nine forms as well as every God and Goddess. It is for this reason, offering prayers to her during these nine days is believed to enrich an individual with health, wealth, and prosperity in life. As per the beliefs of the Hindu religion, during this propitious period of nine days, Goddess Durga vanquished the evil demon Mahishasura and saved humankind from his tortures. Different religious scriptures credit the different forms of Goddess Durga with the killing of Mahishasura. However, the most prevalent belief is that Goddess Durga, taking the form of the eighteen-handed Ugrachandi avatar slew the demon, according to the Rambha Kalpa. Hence, this festival of Navratri 2024 is celebrated to commemorate the victory of Goddess Durga over the immoral rakshasa. 

Rituals Associated with Chaitra Navratri

All across the nation, this festival is celebrated in different ways reflecting the spirit of unity in diversity. Let us see how Goddess Durga is worshipped from the North to the South and from East to the West: 

• Large pandals with idols of Goddess Durga are installed throughout the city in the states of Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Orissa. People deck up in new clothes to visit the pandals, and the color red is specifically chosen for all activities related to these sacred days.

• Devotees in Gujrat keep a fast for nine days, while in the evenings, dandiya nights are organized where people get together to perform the Garba dance to their heart’s fill.

• In Tamil Nadu, Kolu is the special attraction of these days. It is a 9-step ladder where each step is a representation of the 9 Navratri days. Miniature idols of Gods and Goddesses adorn each step of the ladder.

• The same Kolu is called Batukamma Panduga in Andhra Pradesh, and it is worshipped on all nine days of the festival. At the end of the ninth day, the ladder is set afloat in a nearby waterbody.

• Massive processions with elephants are taken out similar to those in the Vijayanagara dynasty in Karnataka on this occasion.

• Keralites celebrate learning and education during these auspicious times and pay their respects to musical instruments and books.

• In Punjab, little girls are worshipped in the image of Goddess Durga. They are showered with gifts and food on the last day of the festival and are known as Kanjak.

Astrological Significance of Navratri

This day is celebrated with the arrival of the autumn season, and soon after the nine days of Goddess Durga, the tenth day marks the festival of Dussera. The celebrations of this festival thus last for a period of ten days and are full of frolic and joy. The nine days are said to be so auspicious as per astrology that all projects can be started during this period without paying heed to the muhurats. As per the belief of the devotees, all problems can be resolved with sincere worship of Goddess Durga during these nine days. Tragedies can be turned into opportunities with the blessings of Durga mata in these nine days as she showers her blessings upon her bhakts, who show their devotion and staunch belief. The nine days of the Devi during the Ashwin month have special relevance as this period is synonymous with the dakshinayan period of the Sun. Hence, it is deemed auspicious to worship Goddess Durga during this time.

Legends Associated with Navratri

As per the scriptures, Lord Rama invoked Durga Mata to seek her blessings before going to war against the demon king Ravana. This ultimate invocation by Lord Rama to awaken Goddess Durga from her slumber during the Navratri days is referred to as Akal Bodhan of Shakti. It is for this reason that this Navratri among the four Navratris, namely, Ashadha Gupt Navratri, Chaitra Navratri, Sharad Navratri, and Magha Navratri, holds so much significance.

The festival is extremely important to Hindus all around the world, and the nine days enable devotees to exhibit their devotion and sincerity towards the Goddess with increased enthusiasm.

To know more about the festival and seek expert advice from astrologers, connect with certified astrologers only at Astroyogi!