Chandraghanta Devi-Third Day of Navratri

The festivities of the Holy Navratri continue into the Third Day, with Day 3 belonging exquisitely to the third incarnation of the Divine Mother known as Chandraghanta Devi. The colour of the day is Pink, and the Goddess is dressed in the same colour as well. The dress again can be a choice between a Saree and a Lehenga, depending on the one that the people worshipping decide to drape her with.

This day, belonging to Chandraghanta Devi, is also known as the day of Sthana Vriddhi Gauri Vratha or Ashwin Masa Shudda Tritiya. The colour pink is the most auspicious colour, and reflects the femine side of the Divine Goddess who is known to be equally ferocious in her deadly avatar as calm and serene as she can be. The Holy manifestation of Chandraghanta Devi is that of the Goddess sitting on a Tiger and exuding a Golden Hue.

Her portrait is shown having 10 hands and three eyes. Eight of these upper limbs display the various wea[pons that Candraghanta Devi possess where as the other two are vacant and used to bless the world.

This day is categorically prayed to attain a lot of worldly and earthly benefits. These include the likes of Bliss, Knowledge, Peace, Serenity, Growth and Purpose of Life. The mother is prayed for to grace the occasion and bless all of mankind with these holy and blissful virtues that would help people live a better life. The third day of the Navratras is for this manifestation of the Mother, who is said to have 9 forms and each day is dedicated to one manifestation. Pink colored cloth can be seen sporting all around and the people prefer wearing clothes of the same color as well on this day.

Navratri: Day 2

The Second Day in the auspicious Navratras is about Durga Navratri. The day is named after the second form of the Goddess, Durga. The holy colour for the day is the colour Grey and subsequently, the Goddess is dressed up in the same colour. On this day, Preethi Dwitiya/Ashwin Dwitiya is celebrated and the festivities are taken forward. Durga, also known as the Bramcharini Devi, is worshipped categorically by those who take a vow of celibacy for all their lives.

Grey coloured cloth can be seen all over the place, right from the dais where the Goddess is kept to the cloth that is put over the coconut kept on the Kalash near the picture of the Divine Mother. The colour comes with its own symbolic meaning, and is considered to be one of the most pious signs of paying homage.

Again, the prayers and chants are continued from where they were left the day earlier. Since a day has already gone by and the festivities are into the second day, all the attributes and virtues of the Bramcharini are remembered and the Mother is praised all day. The ones to have taken vows of celibacy for life are told stories from folklore about the way the Mother went about living her life in ancient times, when her incarnation was on Earth.

This, like the previous day, begins at the crack of dawn and goes on till the late hours of the morning when the Puja finally culminates and the routine is gone ahead with. One remembers all the virtues of the second form of the Divine Mother and prays to her for good health and well being and most importantly, to make the coming 7 days as eventful as the first two have been. With this thought, the day is called.

Kalash Sthapna-First Day of Navratri

The very first day in the auspicious nine day long Navratri is known as the day of Kalash Sthapna. The color for the day is the Color Green and the Goddess too is dressed up in the same color as a symbolic gesture to ethos. The apparel is either a Green Colored Lehenga, or a Green shaded saree. The day begins on a very positive and auspicious note for the fact that the holy week begins, and has to start off well. The very first thing that happens in the morning is the Prathmi Puja. This Puja sees women all around getting dressed quickly and decorating the place of worship with a lot of diyas and flowers. The Goddess is worshipped from the heart and prayers are chanted for her to come over and reside in the house, as it is perceived that her presence guarantees an unlimited influx of wealth and happiness.

A Kalash, an earthen pot, is placed near the Goddess upon which a coconut is kept, which is further draped in a holy cloth. The Kalash is revered for the fact that it happens to be a token of homage and way to welcome the Divine Mother into one’s abode.

Chants and prayers start at the crack of dawn and go on till the sun rises, into the late hours of the morning. Priests can be seen pounding the bells hard to make noise resonate in high decibels. People completely lose themselves in the quest to reach out to the divine power, which is requested with all humility to come and grace the occasion and bless everyone with wealth and prosperity. The day cannot begin on a better note than this, which promises the coming 8 days to be unforgettable. Hail the Divine Mother!

Navratri: The 9 Holy Nights, All for the Goddesses

The Goddess Kali/Devi has these 9 days to her name every year twice. The commencement of spring and the beginning of autumn are the two junctions when Navratri begins. These 9 days are considered to be very auspicious, for the Goddess is worshipped all across India with a lot of fervor and passion. The Divine Mother is said to enter every household that worships her truly, with loyalty and belief. The Lunar calendar determines the dates every year and people getting ready during that time for the days to begin.

Though a festival meant for Hinduism and Hindus, people all over the country celebrate these days with a lot of happiness and belief. They fast, sing bhajans, put up Golus in their homes and pray from their hearts. The celebrations go over a period of nine days because the Divine Mother being thought of in her 9 manifestations. The 10^th day that follows these 9 days is the day when Vijayadashmi is celebrated, culminating the whole festivity and being called as ‘Dusshera’.

A lot of fuzz and activity can be witnessed during this time all over the nation. Various dance forms can be seen, people light candles and diyas, lights illuminate neighborhoods and the whole ambience is bustling with a lot of joy and ecstasy. One has the time of his life celebrating these 9 days for one gets to see all kinds of festivities being done all over. This is the best and most auspicious time as well to show how well one respects the presence of the divine power.

Art and Craft – The Imperial Grace of Artistry

Art and Craft define the world. Scriptures, paintings, encryptions, sketches etc, are all different forms of art. They epitomize creativity and imagination. They tell us about the wonderful times when art was thought of in a very different way and held in a different regard altogether. Art and craft together have undoubtedly been the imperial grace of artistry. They can take any shape and be of any form. They can be depicted through color, through canvas, through collage, through caricatures, through cartoons, through compositions etc. All of them come with a different undertone and they all have a very unique and different significance. Then comes the finishing work, whatever the composition has been, it has to be polished and finished so that it looks presentable and enviable.

Art and Craft have been the finest of ways to show the grace that emanates from natural thoughts and perceptions. The way imaginative concepts are loaded onto something and made into a graphical presentation astonishes the human eye and appeals to it very highly. The best part of it is that such form of art and craft can be found and seen all across the world. Caves, pyramids, tombs, visual descriptions etc. are some of the sites where these can be found and can be said of as very appealing.

Art and Craft describe effort and imagination. They are a showcase of brilliance mixed with skill. They depict the mightiness of those personnel who had the drive to put their thoughts into picture. They represent artistry in a very delectable and revering form. All in all, art and craft are the result of some scintillating imaginative thoughts being brought to life by master craftsmen. This surely entices the eye and takes the imagination a long way ahead.

Ajmer-e-Sharif

The district of Ajmer in the princely state of Rajasthan has the holy shrine of the Sufi Saint, Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti. Known as the ‘Dargah Sharif’, the last resting place of the saint who died in 1235 lies at the foot of a barren hill. The saint’s marble domed mausoleum is India’s most important shrine for Muslims and receives an endless flow of visitors of all religions as the sick, the troubled and the childless come here seeking a boon, a blessing or just peace of mind. Legend has it that the Mughal emperor, Akbar came here to the saint in the 16th century in quest of a boon for an heir and the saint obliged.

The Urs or annual pilgrimage of the devout is celebrated each May at the Dargah with millions of pilgrims arriving in Ajmer to pay homage. Lengthy queues of several kilometres snake their way past the tomb at the shrine while outside the Dargah precincts, two massive cauldrons cook sweet rice garnished with dry fruits and condiments to be served as ‘tabarukh’ or sanctified food. Within the dargah lies a mosque, built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan. Like all of Shah Jahan’s buildings, the mosque too, is an architectural marvel - a magnificent building in white marble with a long and narrow courtyard for the faithful to pray in, richly embellished with ornate calligraphic inscriptions, delicate carvings and detailed trelliswork.


Although Ajmer does not have an airport of its own, there is an airport at Jaipur (130 km away), from where regular buses and taxis come to Ajmer.

Ajmer is very well linked by train; there are frequent (in many cases daily) trains to and from the city to other destinations in India, including Delhi, Mumbai and Jaipur. Delhi is connected to Ajmer by the fast Shatabdi Express, easily the quickest and most comfortable way of getting to Ajmer.

A good national and state highway network links Ajmer to other parts of Rajasthan and many important cities in India. Hired transport is easily available, be it cars, jeeps, minibuses or MUVs and almost all come with experienced drivers. State and interstate roadways buses, RTDC conducted tours and coaches connect Ajmer to most important cities in the region, including Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Udaipur, Jodhpur, Bikaner, Mt. Abu, Jaisalmer, Mumbai and Delhi.

A Tiger Trail in Ranthambore

Ranthambore is lovely place in Rajasthan that is situated at a distance of 180 kilometers from the capital city, Jaipur. It is a national park, sanctuary and a site that was declared as one of the Project Tiger reserves in the 1970s by the Government of India. The place is categorically famous for its Tiger count and also happens to be home to some of the most gorgeous and healthy tigers in India. The beasts can be easily spotted during day time. The months of November and May, when the forests are dry, is the best time when Tigers are visible throughout the day.

Following a Tiger Trail in Ranthambore can be very exciting. One needs to be cautious, for irritating a Tiger would invite trouble. Wherever a Tiger goes, the animal always leaves traces or paw marks behind. You can pretend to be Indianan Jones and follow the trail. If the climate is moist, the trail becomes easier to follow and the footprints would be wet and very clear. You need to be armored well before you take up a trail as you run the risk of being attacked. Some of the accessories you would need while following the trail are a solid net, rifle with magazines and a harpoon in case hunting is allowed and you feel like doing it.

The trails are very exciting. Tigers often have this habit of changing their routes constantly. They have to be tracked or followed with a lot of precision. The trace becomes more intriguing and exhilarating as you have to be very agile. The tiger moves very quickly and within no time will vanish if you do not keep pace with it. Go to Ranthambore and follow a Tiger Trail. You can fancy yourself as 007, as someone on a hot trail left behind by a notorious assassin.

Rajasthan a Dream Destination for Sand Dunes

The land of Royalty certainly does teach you a thing or two about rich culture and tradition. It does give you history lessons about the grandeur and luxury that the royals experienced back then. Also, it serves as one of the best places where you can know where the heart of true India lies. Rajasthan has always been a cherished tourist destination across the world with people pouring in huge numbers. Be it food, culture, tradition, attire, rural environment, hospitality etc., all of them are demonstrated well just by a visit to the place. People who go to Rajasthan come back with the memories of a lifetime and always cherish their visit.

The most scintillating feature that they get to see in the desert city is the sand dunes of Jaisalmer. Everyone falls in love with the sand dunes. Any romantic would give his right arm to take half of that sand home and preserve it in a nearby park so that whenever the beloved in there with him, both can simply go there and lay down. The sand is very soothing and takes you into a different world. During day in the scorching sun, sounds about forgotten love stories resonate beneath the ground and during night when it is cold and free air is blowing everywhere, those of all the accomplished love stories that became a part of romantic folklore can be heard clearly. It is this magical enigma coming out of the sand dunes that make them a visitor favorite.

The camel rides are an anecdote about the tyranny that love struck couples had to endure during the days of yore, the distance they had to cover to meet their beloved and the struggle that ensued. The blazing sun up there is testament to the turmoil that came with the romantic adventure. The skeletons and human debris found in the sand dunes are proof as to how some stories remains unfinished and had a tragic ending.

The sand dunes are about all this and much more. They reflect typical Indian tradition and the blood and sweat that the natives shed to make the place the historical powerhouse it has become. They have a concealed undertone to them which needs a lot of sensitivity and romantic demeanor to identify.

Come to Rajasthan and feel that sand. You will see a chill going down your spine and will get to know why people from around the world come to this part of Earth to see what the sand is. They say that this sand is not the normal one you get to see at places. It contains a lot of tears, prayers and wishes that will forever be there buried inside.

Shimla & Manali are Dreamed Lands

Talk about hill stations and you start fantasizing about those dreamlands full of icy and snowy landscapes. Now, India has quite a few hill stations where people go and have a good time but a couple of those that really stand out are Shimla and Manali, which fortunately for the tourists and the travelers are located in the state of Himachal Pradesh. The former is the capital city of the state where as the latter is a well visited hill station located near the valley of Kullu. Shimla is situated near the Northwestern Himalayas and is completely covered with Oak, Pine and Rhodendron trees. The summers are said to be very pleasant with the winters being severely cold. The snowfall in this region starts from the late of November and goes on till early February, a time period during which tourists come pouring in huge numbers to experience the snow.

If Shimla were not enough, then Manali only takes that pleasure of visiting such wonderful hill stations to the next step. The place is located near the Beas River Valley and is quite near to Kullu. As a matter of fact, Manali is an integral part of District Kullu and apart from being a wonderful vacation spot is also a place of historical importance. Both Shimla and Manali are two places in the Northern part of India that symbolize peace and serenity is a very unobtrusive manner. They are not flashy and hyped vacation spots that are well around the world and have tourists coming in throughout the year. Apart from snow being one of the biggest attractions, there are a lot of other spots and sites that vacationers love to go when they come to visit Shimla and Manali.

These places have this innate ability to make people feel very close to nature. Nature in fact flexes its arms thoroughly at these two places and shows why people still adore being close to it. The valleys and the ravines along with the weather prove to be an unbeatable combination all over the year and the resorts and motels prove to be perfect places for lodging. The local habitat is also quite amazing given the weather that the inhabitants are used to living in. people are always at their best while having fun in these two parts of the wonderful state of Himachal Pradesh.

Both Shimla and Manali are two very calm yet lively cities with the crowd always buzzing around in these places. Not only are they very warm and welcoming in nature which is the stark opposite of the weather that can be experienced but also they are very tourist friendly and offer a great deal of spots that can be visited around. Visiting these places might turn out to be the best experience of your life and you should be doing it without a delay. The prices are very competitive and it will hardly cost visitors a lot of money to come and make the trip.

Celebrate Gangaur Festival in Rajasthan

The festival of Gangaur in the state of Rajasthan is one of the best celebrated festivals on the block and also one of the most cherished ones too. The festival gets celebrated in the month of monsoon when harvest and martial fidelity is about to happen. The women on the block worship Gauri, who also happens to be the consort of Lord Shiva himself. The word ‘Gangaur’ is a portmanteau of two distinct words namely ‘Gana’ and ‘Gaur’ with the former signifying Lord Shiva and the latter meaning Parvati. The symbolic meaning of gaur is Saubhagya, a Sanskrit notation for good luck and good charm. This word out and out symbolizes marital bliss and when used in the right context, is an apt representative of good things to come.

Lord Shiva and goddess Parvati are worshipped in this festival of Gangaur. This festival is specifically meant for women folks. The unmarried women worship Gauri for blessing them with good husband, while married women do so for the welfare, health and longevity of their husbands and cheerful married life. It is believed that after a temporary long sacrament Gauri and Shiva reunited on this day. The small doll like Idols of the Shiva and Gauri are made of wood. These divine male and female entities are called ‘Isar’ and ‘Gangaur’. The festival commences on Holi. The festival runs through many days. Young girls pray for grooms of their choice while married women seek a long life for their husbands. The ladies beautify their hands and feet by temporary decoration by drawing designs with Mehendi.