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Raghu · Oct 8, 2010, 9:35 AM

It is festival time in India, with Navratri (nav - nine; ratri - night) starting today and culminating in Vijayadasami on the 10th day. The 10-day period is also called Dasara (spelt differently in different parts of India).

The festival is to worship the three main Goddesses of Hindu faith - Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswathi, three days each. Women and children visit friends in the neighborhood and to make it interesting, make arrangement of idols and dolls. The display varies according to one's interest - the rich homes with preoccupied people may have a simple display, but a poor house with interested children may have a splendid display including miniature parks, gardens, etc.

The eighth day, marked for Saraswathi, the Goddess of Learning, is a happy day for school going children, as they are asked to keep all their learning media (text books, pens, etc.) in worship, not to be touched for the next two days!

The festival is celebrated with great fervour in Mysore, where the entire palace is illuminated in a grand manner and music concerts and cultural entertainment are arranged by the government for the public. This is a good time to visit Mysore. Calcutta is also known for this festival, which is celebrated as Durga Pooja there.

A sample (and simple) arrangement of dolls in my house is shown below. It is customary to add at least one new item to the display every year. The new addition is also shown below.

This year's addition: the bronze-smith. Can you locate this in the picture above?

saly · Oct 8, 2010, 9:36 PM

Raghu, this is a very interesting story. Thank you for educating us about your culture! Your photos are not bad either

. Great colors and detail. This is with the FZ35?

mtclimber · Oct 8, 2010, 9:41 PM

I agree 100% with Saly-

Many thanks, Raghu, for sharing a bit of your culture with us. Great photos by the way.

Sarah Joyce

laurel99 · Oct 8, 2010, 9:57 PM

And I'll agree with Saly and Sarah Joyce. Thanks for sharing this. The photos are great and yes, I could find the Bronze Smith in the photo.

Thanks for posting, Raghu.

Laurie

Raghu · Oct 8, 2010, 10:13 PM

Most welcome, it was my pleasure sharing with you all. Saly, I have an FZ-28.

aarunn · Oct 10, 2010, 10:53 AM

Good Job Raghu

Oct 8, 2010, 9:35 AM	#1
Raghu Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Ambattur, near Chennai, India Posts: 3,656	Navratri in India It is festival time in India, with Navratri (nav - nine; ratri - night) starting today and culminating in Vijayadasami on the 10th day. The 10-day period is also called Dasara (spelt differently in different parts of India). The festival is to worship the three main Goddesses of Hindu faith - Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswathi, three days each. Women and children visit friends in the neighborhood and to make it interesting, make arrangement of idols and dolls. The display varies according to one's interest - the rich homes with preoccupied people may have a simple display, but a poor house with interested children may have a splendid display including miniature parks, gardens, etc. The eighth day, marked for Saraswathi, the Goddess of Learning, is a happy day for school going children, as they are asked to keep all their learning media (text books, pens, etc.) in worship, not to be touched for the next two days! The festival is celebrated with great fervour in Mysore, where the entire palace is illuminated in a grand manner and music concerts and cultural entertainment are arranged by the government for the public. This is a good time to visit Mysore. Calcutta is also known for this festival, which is celebrated as Durga Pooja there. A sample (and simple) arrangement of dolls in my house is shown below. It is customary to add at least one new item to the display every year. The new addition is also shown below. This year's addition: the bronze-smith. Can you locate this in the picture above? Last edited by Raghu; Oct 8, 2010 at 10:12 AM.

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Oct 8, 2010, 9:36 PM	#2
saly Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: near Los Angeles, CA USA Posts: 4,764	Raghu, this is a very interesting story. Thank you for educating us about your culture! Your photos are not bad either . Great colors and detail. This is with the FZ35?

Oct 8, 2010, 9:41 PM	#3
mtclimber Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Oregon, USA Posts: 18,143	I agree 100% with Saly- Many thanks, Raghu, for sharing a bit of your culture with us. Great photos by the way. Sarah Joyce

Oct 8, 2010, 9:57 PM	#4
laurel99 Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Minneapolis, MN Posts: 165	And I'll agree with Saly and Sarah Joyce. Thanks for sharing this. The photos are great and yes, I could find the Bronze Smith in the photo. Thanks for posting, Raghu. Laurie

Oct 8, 2010, 10:13 PM	#5
Raghu Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Ambattur, near Chennai, India Posts: 3,656	Most welcome, it was my pleasure sharing with you all. Saly, I have an FZ-28.

Oct 10, 2010, 10:53 AM	#6
aarunn Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Posts: 26	Good Job Raghu