National Unity DayOctober 31, 2014

Rashtriya Ekta Diwas

• Rashtriya Ekta Diwas Pledge to motivate Them to strive to maintain the unity and integrity of the country.• The Central Board of Secondary

Education has issued a notice asking schools to administer the pledge.

• A 'Run for Unity' involving people from all sections of the society, a march past in the evening by police will also be held.

Born: October 31, 1875, Nadiad.Died: December 15, 1950, Mumbai.

SARDAR VALLABHBHA

I PATEL

“MANPOWER WITHOUT UNITY IS NOT A STRENGTH UNLESS IT IS

HARMONISED AND…UNITED PROPERLY, THEN IT

BECOMES A SPIRITUAL POWER.”

NAVRATRI

INDIA

•Type : hindu festival•Celebrations : 9–10 days•Begins : ashvin shukla prathama•Ends :ashvin shukla navami•Date :usually september–november. The date changes as per lunar calendar.

GENERAL INFORMATION

Navratri a festival of joy &devotion

NorthernStates

•Uttar Pradesh•Delhi•Kashmir•Himachal pradesh•Punjab

Navratri in Delhi•In Northern India especially Delhi, even the name of the festival is changed, this becomes Navratras.•This is a period of fasting for seven days, and the people are said to keep their Navratras. •On the eighth day or Ashtami, devotees break their fasts by calling young girls home and these girls are treated as the goddess herself. They are called Kanjak Devis.

People ceremonially wash their feet, worship

them.

They offer them food.

Giving them the traditional puri, halwa and chana to eat, along with bangles

People also give them red chunnis to wear with a token amount of money as shagun.

Kanjak Devis : Girl Goddesses

PUNJAB People organize Jagrans to sing

devotional songs all night in praise of the Mother Goddess.

Punjabis who do not keep a fast, stop eating non-vegetarian and food items like onion and garlic.

The Chaitra Navratri culminates in Ram Navami and the Sharad Navratri culminates in Durga Puja and Dussehra.

•Another prevalent practice is of sowing pulses, cereals and other seeds. •On the first day of this festival in a pot which is watered for nine days at the end of which the seeds sprout. •This custom is also indicative of fertility worship and is known as Khetri.

WHAT IS KHETRI ?

Navratri in

Uttar Pradesh

• The Ram Leela is performed during Navratri in UP. It is the stage presentation of the Ramayana. This is the day, according to the Ramayana, when Lord Ram killed the demon Ravana and hence this day marks the victory of good over evil.

• The day after Navratri is known as Dassera.

• In many parts of India this is also referred to Vijaya Dashmi and is celebrated with equal pomp and glory associated with Diwali. 

 

Kashmir• Hindu minorities of Kashmiri

Pandits celebrate this festival. • They usually visit the temple of

their guardian goddess KheerBhawani, on all nine days.

• Aarti is held on the last day of Navratri after which, people break their fast.

• Many devotees also go to the mountain cave of the Vaishno Devi Temple.

HIMACHAL PRADESH• The Devbhoomi of Himachal

Pradesh celebrates Navratri with devotion to Maa Durga.

• Kullu is the Dussehra festival observed in the month of October in Himachal Pradesh state in northern India

• It is celebrated in the Dhalpur maidan in the Kullu valley.

Food in north during navratri

NAVRATRI IN

SOUTH INDIA

• The Navratri is celebrated with much devotion in South India too. But the South Indians spiritual focus appears to be slightly different from that of others.

• The nine nights of Puja are devoted to goddesses Lakshmi, Durga and Saraswati equally.

• Saraswati the goddess of arts, wisdom and learning - appears to be getting a little more importance in South India.

KERALA•Kerala celebrates only the last three days of Navratri. Ashtami, Navami and Vijaya Dashmi are of utmost importance for the Keralites.• This South Indian state that tops the literacy rate in the country.• They place books, musical instruments in front of Goddess Saraswati’s idol on the day of Ashtami. • On the tenth day, the books are taken out for reading. 

MYSORE During Navratri, devotees of Mysore

worship their royal deity Chamundi, who is considered to be the epitome of Mysore royalty. According to tradition, a magnificent procession of elephants, horses, chariots

and costumed attendants is observed on the tenth day,when Maharaja goes to

worship the hilltop temple of the goddess.

• Women belonging to the Iyer community invite married women to their homes in the evenings and gift them with accessories like bangles, earrings and other items.

• A coconut, beetle leaves and beetle nuts, and money are also given as gifts to these women.

• A special recipe called ‘Sundal’ made of lentil seeds and pulses is made on each day and served to the guests.

TAMIL NADU

•‘Golu` is an arrangement made on a staircase with nine stairs which symbolises each day of navratri. • The dolls that are used for the ‘golu’ are handed over from generation to generation. •In a raised platform the clay idols of vishnu, shiva and brahma are placed and worshipped.

ANDHRA PRADESH

• Dolls are placed in the puja rooms of houses.

• Friends and relatives visit each family to see the doll collection.

• Everyone wears new clothes.

• A special sweetmeat or sweet rice or khir is made. It is offered to the household gods. Later the family members eat them.

NAVRATRI IN

WEST

•The Puja is performed daily by adorning the deity with fresh garland on each of the nine days.• On the tenth day, the garlands are removed and the idol is immersed in the sea.• People invite young girls, who have not attained puberty to their house and offer them food of their choice.

MAHARASHTRA

GUJARAT•People perform devotional songs and dances that are popular by the names of 'Dandiya Raas' and 'Garba Raas‘ and Jaagran to please the Goddess • Ambe Mata Temple at Junagarh is a favorite pilgrim for devotees, during Navratri.

•Painted earthen pots are used to represent the Goddess and Garba dances are performed by the Gujarati women. •The Rasa has its origin in the life scenes of Lord Krishna and is associated with the agricultural rites, while Garba is performed only by men and is related with the agricultural fertility. 

NAVRATRIIN EAST

WEST BENGAL• It is celebrated with devotion through public ceremonies of“Sarbojanin Puja”. •Huge decorative temporary structures called “pandals” are constructed to house.• The eastern icons of Goddess Durga, accompanied by those of Lakshmi, Saraswati, Ganesha and Kartikya, are taken out on the tenth day, where they are ceremonially immersed in the river.• Bengali ladies give an emotion to Durga amidst ululations and drumbeats.

Assam• In

Kamakhya ,Guwahati Durga Puja is celebrated annually during Navaratri.

• It is a three day festival attracting several visitors.

on the 10th day giant effigies of Ravana. Kumbhakarna and Meghnad , are publicly burnt. But despite the various ways in which this festival is celebrated the feature that is common is that of the worship of the mother goddess.

Thank you