AMN / WEB DESK
Navratri,the 9-day long festival to worship Goddess Durga, begins today with religious fervor and gaiety. During Navratri, the nine forms of Goddess Durga are worshipped. On the first day, Devi Durga is worshiped as Shailaputri.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has extended Navratri greetings to everyone. In a tweet, Mr Modi said, the coming days are about devoting ourselves to the worship of Jagat Janani Maa. The Prime Minister hoped that Navratri will bring good health and prosperity in everyone’s lives. Mr Modi said that on the first day of Navratri we pray to Maa Shailputri. On the occasion, he also shared a Stuti on his twitter handle which is devoted to Maa Shailputri.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has appealed people to follow covid protocol while celebrating Navratri and taking part in the functions being organised on the occasion of Durga Puja. Devotees across the state are worshipping the Shailputri form of goddess Durga today. They are observing fast and performing puja at various devi temples and also doing kalash sthapna at their homes. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will also perform Puja at the famous Gorakhnath temple in Gorakhpur.
Devotees are reaching in large numbers at famous Shakti peethas of Vindhyachal and Devi Patan temples to worship the goddess of power and to mark the first day of Navratri.
Unlike last year when the festival was a low-key affair, this year the state government has relaxed the covid related guidelines in the wake of very few cases of infection.
The guidelines says that while granting permission for the establishment of Durga Puja Pandal and Ramlila stage, care should be taken that public traffic is not affected.
The idols should be installed in the traditional but empty space, their size should be kept as small as possible and there should not be more people than the capacity of the ground.
In Jammu and Kashmir, nine-day long Katra Navratra festival is being organised at Katra, the base camp of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Cave Shrine in Reasi district. The festival is being organised by the Tourism Department, Jammu in collaboration with Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board from 7th to 15th October. The Navratra festival was started in 1996 in order to promote pilgrimage tourism in J&K. The event, since then, has attained international fame and popularity.