The festival of Navratri began here with traditional enthusiasm and religious fervour. The nine-day festival would continue till April 8 2014.
As the Navratri commenced in the wee hours of Monday, a large number of devotees thronged at different temples of the city. Devotees offered their prayers before goddess Durga, whom they revered as the great mother. The followers of Durga believed that the festival represented how the negativity can be conquered by the inherent positive qualities in an individual so that one emerges as a Divine being.
The end of spring and beginning of autumn is considered to be important junction of climatic and solar influences. The period is considered as a sacred opportunity for worship of the divine mother Durga. Traditionally, the devotees worshiped goddess Durga so that they got a good yield in the agricultural fields and she protected them from upcoming hardships, difficulties and natural calamities.
The president of Durga Mandir Committee Survey Chowk Hl Chawla informed The Pioneer that the devotees came with a strong belief to seek the blessing of mother Durga. They brought flowers and fruits to the temple in order make the all powerful goddess happy.
He further said that people mostly came for three types of problems i.e. physical, mental and spiritual. He claimed that the goddess Durga gave relief and removed difficulties from the lives of those worshiping her. A devotee Rakish Topwal who was presented at the Durga temple said that he had full faith in the goddess and she has given him everything he has wished from her.
He said that Durga was omnipresent as she was the personification of ‘universal mother’. “She is the mother, who is present everywhere and who is embodiment of power, energy and peace, I bow to that mother, I bow to Durga,” he said.