Kanpur, October 10, 2013: Devotees in large numbers thronged various temples of goddess Durga in the city on 'chaturthi', or the fourth day, of Navratras on Tuesday. People also organized 'jagrans' and 'Mata ki chaukies' in order to pay their obeisance to the goddess.

With every passing day of the nine-day auspicious period, the number of devotees to temples is increasing manifold. People were seen standing in serpentine queues with great enthusiasm in them. While most women went inside the temples for worshiping, many men thronged the food stalls outside temples.

Kids had a gala time on joy rides in fairs near prominent temples such as Tapeshwari Devi, Vaishno Mata, Bara Devi and Junglee Devi.

According to Hindu mythology, the beginning of spring and the beginning of autumn are two very important junctions of climatic and solar influence on human lives. These two periods are considered sacred times to worship the divine mother. This is the main idea behind the celebrations of Navratras. The dates of the period are determined according to the lunar calendar.

"Navaratras represent the celebration of goddess Durga, the manifestation of the deity in form of shakti (power). The first three days are dedicated to the warrior goddess dressed in red and mounted on a lion. Her various embodiments - Kumari, Parvati and Kali - are worshipped during these days," said Kuldeep Chaturvedi, an astrologer.

He further added that these three 'swaroops' or forms of the goddess correspond to the three different classifications of womanhood that include the child, the young girl and the mature woman.

The next three days are dedicated to goddess Lakshmi (the goddess of wealth and prosperity), who is dressed in gold and mounted on an owl. The final three days are dedicated to goddess Saraswati or the deity of knowledge, who is dressed in milky white and mounted on a pure white swan.

Source: The Times of India, October 10, 2013