Navaratri 2022 celebrations at Ambalavattam Temple began 0n 26 September and ended on 5 November. The members of Ambalavattam family celebrate the nine-day festival with much grandeur. It is dedicated to the worship of Durga Devi and her nine avatarams – Navadurga. Navaratri means nine nights, in Malayalam as well as Sanskrit. While the festival is observed with much pomp in Kerala, other states have different customs.
Navaratri 2022 History
Navratri celebrates execution of the demon Mahishasura and the victory of good over evil. The story begins with Lord Brahma blessing Mahishasura with the gift of immortality due to his enormous dedication to him. However, the boon came with one caveat: the only person who would be able to defeat him would be a woman. The demon did not believe any woman would be strong enough to defeat him. So he started to harass and terrorise people one earth. The Gods could not put an end to the persecution.
Therefore Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva combined their powers and created goddess Durga to annihilate Mahishasura. They equipped her with several weapons. The battle between Durga Devi and Mahishasura went on for ten days. He assumed various forms to confuse the Goddess. But when he finally turned himself into a giant buffalo, Durga Devi beheaded the demon with the Chakra which Lord Vishnu had given her.
Navaratri 2022 Significance
Devotees worship the nine avatars of Durga Devi during Navratri festival. Each day of Navratri is associated with an incarnation of the goddess. People observe fasts, wear new clothes and clean their homes during the nine days. They pray to the goddess and seek her blessings.
In North India, particularly in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh, Ramlila is organised on a large scale during Navratri. The story of Lord Rama’s victory over Ravana is enacted during the Ramlila. It ends on Dussehra with the burning of the effigies of King Ravana to celebrate the victory of good over evil.
In West Bengal, Odisha, Assam, and Bihar, idols of Durga Devi are immersed in water bodies on Vjayadashami Day. The day of Durga Visarjan for many devotees is the most important part of Durga’s worship.
In Gujarat the dance forms of Garba and Dandiya Ras are ubiquitous. Garba is a traditional dance where the participants clap their hands rhythmically while moving in a circle. Dandiya Raas involves dancing with dandiya sticks to the rhythm of music.
Colours of Navaratri
Mahaashtra and Gujarat have the tradition of wearing specific colours on each day of Navaratri. Ladies tend to wear clothes according to Navaratri colour of he day. Please see the chart above for details.
Acknowledgements
Muralidharan Shanti faithfully performed the pooja ceremonies and also decorated the temple . Family members who visited the temple deserve a pat on the back.
I also thank the unnamed person who provided the videos in this post. The videos have been edited to comply with requirements of the website.