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Navaratra's most auspicious day today

         New Delhi/Jammu: Hindu devotees thronged temples on Monday to offer special prayers on the occasion of Maha Ashtami. Maha Ashtami is the eighth and most auspicious day of the nine-day Navaratra festival, which falls in the first half of the year. (The main Navaratra festival follows in Oct-Nov). "Navratri" is dedicated to Hindu Goddess Durga symbolising 'Shakti' or power. She is depicted as riding a raging lion, holding weapons in her ten hands. It is celebrated twice in a year, during the spring and the autumn season. In New Delhi, devotees swarmed a hugely popular temple in Jhandewalan locality, offering flowers, sweets and coconut to Goddess of Power 'Durga'. "On the eight day of Navaratra we pray to Goddess Bhagvati (Goddess Durga), who is an amalgamation of nine Goddesses. By doing so all the wishes of the devotees are fulfilled," said Shreeraj Paramhans, a priest from New Delhi. In Jammu, devotees queued up outside temples from early morning, to pay their obeisance to the goddess. "During the festival a 10 day fair is held here. Devotees come to pray and wish for long life and fulfilment of all their wishes," said Devendracharya, a priest from Jammu. Prayers, processions and devotional musical programmes mark the festival, symbolising the triumph of good over evil. Both the Hindu god Rama and the Goddess Durga are worshipped throughout the country in different forms. In West Bengal, the festival is called Durga Puja while in the rest of the country, it is known as Navaratra .
- March 26, 2007

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