On the first day of Chaitra Navaratri, devotees on Tuesday thronged temples nationwide to offer prayers. The large gatherings symbolized the beginning of the auspicious nine-day festival.
They stood in long queues waiting to offer Pooja and Prasad to Hindu goddess Durga.
During these nine days, devotees engage in worship of various manifestations of Durga, collectively known as Navadurga.
Streets wore a festive look with the locals performing Pooja.
Festive Beginnings With Maa Durga’s Prayers
Several temples resonated with the chants of Jai Mata Di since. Devotees performed hawans and other rituals to celebrate the festival.
Meanwhile, devotees gathered at Ayodhya’s Ram Temple, marking its inaugural celebration of the festival.
#WATCH | Uttar Pradesh: Devotees throng Ayodhya's Ram Temple on the first day of Chaitra Navaratri pic.twitter.com/OZI3eUq0Wp
— ANI (@ANI) April 9, 2024
The Badi Devkali Mata Temple reverberated with early morning Aarti on the occasion.
#WATCH उत्तर प्रदेश: चैत्र नवरात्रि के पहले दिन अयोध्या के बड़ी देवकाली माता मंदिर में श्रद्धालुओं ने पूजा-अर्चना की। pic.twitter.com/XOnNZtXNTk
— ANI_HindiNews (@AHindinews) April 9, 2024
In the national capital, morning Aarti was performed at the Chhatarpur Temple.
#WATCH | Delhi: Morning Aarti is being performed at the Chhatarpur Temple on the first day of Chaitra Navaratri. pic.twitter.com/EH3UHUWgLQ
— ANI (@ANI) April 9, 2024
#WATCH | Delhi: Devotees throng the Chhatarpur Temple on the first day of Chaitra Navaratri. pic.twitter.com/N6ts3tbpqM
— ANI (@ANI) April 9, 2024
A huge crowd of devotees gathered at the Durga Temple in Varanasi.
#WATCH उत्तर प्रदेश: चैत्र नवरात्रि के पहले दिन वाराणसी के दुर्गा मंदिर में दर्शन के लिए भक्तों की भीड़ उमड़ी। pic.twitter.com/OkJxSoMpa6
— ANI_HindiNews (@AHindinews) April 9, 2024
Spiritual leader, Shankaracharya Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati said, “This year we have made a resolution to declare cow as Rashtra Mata. We will work towards making cow slaughter a punishable offence.”
#WATCH | Varanasi, UP: Spiritual leader Shankaracharya Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati speaks on the Hindu New Year, beginning today from the first day of Chaitra month of the Hindu calendar.
He says, "… This year we have made a resolution to declare cow as 'Rashtra Mata'. We… pic.twitter.com/yX71JB06ei
— ANI (@ANI) April 9, 2024
Meanwhile, in Madhya Pradesh, devotees took a holy bath in the Shipra river on the beginning of the new Vikram Samvat in Ujjain.
#WATCH उज्जैन, मध्य प्रदेश: नए विक्रम संवत की शुरुआत पर श्रद्धालुओं ने शिप्रा नदी में पवित्र स्नान किया। pic.twitter.com/8TB2Dsqxih
— ANI_HindiNews (@AHindinews) April 9, 2024
In Prayagraj, devotees took a holy dip. They offered prayers at the confluence of River Ganga and River Yamuna. They also thronged the Alopi Devi temple on the occasion.
#WATCH | Prayagraj, UP: Devotees take a holy dip and offer prayers at the confluence of River Ganga and River Yamuna on the occasion of the first day of Chaitra Navaratri pic.twitter.com/gCO0Mg6vly
— ANI (@ANI) April 9, 2024
#WATCH उत्तर प्रदेश: चैत्र नवरात्रि के पहले दिन प्रयागराज के अलोपी देवी मंदिर में भक्तों की भीड़ उमड़ी। pic.twitter.com/BI34EdPM5G
— ANI_HindiNews (@AHindinews) April 9, 2024
The festival is also celebrated in southern states like Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka as Ugadi.
The nine-day festival, which is also known as Rama Navratri, ends on Rama Navami, Lord Ram’s birthday.
During Chaitra Navratri, people fast, worship Goddess Durga, and perform Ghatasthapana, the invocation of Goddess Shakti.
Navratri also celebrates calmness and peacefulness in the form of Maha Gauri Mata.
This year, Chaitra Navratri begins on 9 April 2024, and concludes on 17 April 2024.
