An arrangement of Golu (idols) is a popular way of celebrating Navratri in southern India (Image: Wikipedia)

Today is the first day of Navratri, the ten-day Hindu festival celebrated around India and the world.

Decorations will adorn homes across Chennai over the next week, as the celebration reaches its climax of Ayudha Puja. Ayudha Puja, which is easily the most important of the ten days for Tamil Hindus, is to be marked next Sunday, on the ninth day of Navratri.

The festival is a display of worship for the Hindu deity Durga, a goddess who represents the power of the Supreme Being, and maintains moral order in the universe.

Various parts of India place significance on different days of the festival. One of the most spectacular celebrations is held in West Bengal in honour of Durga Puja on the final five days of Navratri. Bengalis across India and the world will celebrate from next Wednesday, and in the Bengali capital of Kolkata, Durga Puja celebrations usually overshadow those of the better-known Diwali.

Mysore’s palace during ‘Dasara’ (Dusshera) celebrations (Image: News On Air)

Similarly exciting celebrations are held in the states of Gujarat and Maharashtra, where traditional dances are performed. Punjabi Hindus, including those in Lahore, usually mark the first seven days with a fast. The fast is usually broken with a feast celebrating the new season’s harvest.

Navratri is a Sanskrit word which literally means ‘nine nights’ (nav meaning ‘nine’ and raat meaning night). The tenth day of Navratri is known as Dusshera, and celebrations are particularly lavish in the southern Indian city of Mysore, whose famous palace is covered in lights for the occasion.

UrbanDuniya wishes all of its readers an auspicious Navratri, filled with all the joy it brings.