Photo from the Students of Hinduism Reaching Inwards celebration. Courtesy of Madhavi Rao.
By Madhavi Rao ’24
Staff Writer
Navratri is typically celebrated to commemorate the triumph of good over evil, although the festivities themselves and the meaning behind them differ across regions of South Asia.
From Oct. 7 to Oct. 15, Hindu students celebrated the nine day festival of Navratri, which means “nine nights” in Sanskrit. The festival is also known as Durga Puja, Dashain or Dussehra in various parts of the subcontinent. Navratri is typically celebrated to commemorate the triumph of good over evil, although the festivities themselves and the meaning behind them differ across regions of South Asia.
One story behind the festival is that Navratri is celebrated to pay respect to the goddess Durga and her victory over the evil king Mahishasura. Mahishasura, a king with the head of a bull, prayed to the Hindu god Brahma for immortality from men and animals — but was left vulnerable to women. The goddess Parvati took the form of Durga and defeated Mahishasura in a battle that lasted nine days. “Navratri is celebrated to pay respect to the goddess for this victory,” Deepika Kumawat ’24 explained.
Oishika Saha ’24 explained, “In West Bengal, Durga is the main goddess, and so most of the festival is centered around her.” A common practice in West Bengal is dissolving large clay statues of the goddess Durga in the Ganges on the last day of Navratri, known as Vijayadashami. This tradition symbolizes a farewell to the goddess.
For some, the festival celebrates the victory of Lord Rama over the evil ten-headed king Ravana from the Hindu epic, Ramayana. In the epic, Ravana kidnaps Rama’s bride Sita, taking her to Lanka, where she is rescued by Rama and the monkey god Hanuman. “Back home, we would celebrate by burning a statue of Ravana,” Kumawat said.
In northern parts of the subcontinent, a common practice during Navratri is the traditional dance known as the garba. Garba, a fast-paced dance that takes place around a burning lamp, originated in the Indian state of Gujarat. Garba, derived from the Sanskrit word for womb, is meant to respect the feminine goddess Durga.
Students of Hinduism Reaching Inwards, the Hindu student organization on campus, hosted Navratri celebrations. Sohini Bhatia ’23, co-chair of the organization, said, “We had a prayer and then food for everyone. We even did a couple of rounds of garba, which is a traditional dance.”
“Around 15 people showed up for the celebration,” Saha explained. “We ate, danced and did puja.”