Dr Jitendra Singh,Union Minister and BJP Candidate for Udhampur-Doda-Kathua Lok Sabha constituency, on Wednesday (April 17) performed ‘Kanya Pujan’ on the auspicious occasion of Navmi at his residence, which marks the ninth day of Navaratri.
Singh offered prayers to Goddess Siddhidatri, the ninth avatar of Goddess Durga, at his residence.
Dr Jitendra Singh with his wife, family also honored nine little girls- symbolising the nine avatars of ‘Maa Durga’ and offered them ‘Bhoj’. In Hinduism, it is believed that ‘Maa Durga’ incarnated as a young girl to defeat ‘Kalasura’.
According to rituals, many devotees perform ‘Kanya Puja or Kanjak’ on this day. Young and unmarried girls, who have not attained puberty, are worshipped as Durga in many households. They are invited to houses as their feet are washed and are offered prasad. Some take bath in holy rivers, while there are devotees who also perform Sandhi Puja and offer 108 flowers and leaves to Goddess Durga.
Rama Navami is a Hindu festival that celebrates the birth of Rama, one of the most popularly revered deities in Hinduism, also known as the seventh avatar of Vishnu. He is often held as an emblem within Hinduism for being an ideal king and human through his righteousness, good conduct and virtue. The festival falls on the ninth day of the bright half (Shukla Paksha) of the lunar cycle of Chaitra (March–April), the first month in the Hindu calendar. It is also part of the Chaitra Navaratri festival in spring. Rama Navami is a holiday for government employees in India.
The rituals and customs associated with Rama Navami vary from region to region throughout India. The day is marked by reciting from the Hindu epic Ramayana which narrates the tale of Rama. Vaishnava Hindus celebrate the festival by visiting temples, praying, fasting, listening to spiritual discourses and singing bhajans or kirtans (devotional songs). Some devotees offer worship to Rama like an infant by placing an image of him in a cradle.Charitable events and community meals are also organized. The festival is an occasion for moral reflection for many Hindus.
Important celebrations on this day take place at Ayodhya and numerous Rama temples all over India. Ratha yatras (chariot processions) of Rama, Sita, Lakshmana, and Hanuman occur at several places. In Ayodhya, many take a dip in the sacred river Sarayu and then visit the Rama temple.
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