Chamunda, also known as Chamundeshwari, Chamundi or Charchika, is a fearsome form of Chandi, the Hindu mother goddess, Mahadevi and is one of the seven Matrikas.
Vijayadashami, more commonly known as Dassahra in Hindi-Urdu, and also known as Dashāhra or Dashain in Maithili and Nepali, is a major Hindu festival celebrated every year at the end of Durga Puja and Navarahtri. It is observed on the tenth day of the month of Ashvin, the seventh in the Hindu lunisolar calendar. The festival typically falls in the Gregorian calendar months of September and October,more specifically between 27 September and 26 October.It is celebrated on the tenth day of the waxing moon(Shukla Paksha) of the Ashvayuja month
Shaktism is a major Hindu denomination in which the godhead or metaphysical reality is considered metaphorically to be a woman.
Durga Puja, also known as Durgotsava or Shaaradotsava, is an annual festival originating in the Indian subcontinent which reveres and pays homage to the Hindu goddess Durga, and is also celebrated because of Durga's victory over Mahishasura. It is particularly celebrated in the Indian state of West Bengal,Odisha,Tripura, Bihar, Jharkhand, eastern Uttar Pradesh, Assam and by Hindus in Bangladesh. The festival is observed in the Indian calendar in the month of Ashvin, which corresponds to September–October in the Gregorian calendar. Durga Puja is a ten-day festival, of which the last five are of the most significance. The puja is performed in homes and public, the latter featuring a temporary stage and structural decorations. The festival is also marked by scripture recitations, performance arts, revelry, gift-giving, family visits, feasting, and public processions called a melā. Durga Puja is an important festival in the Shaktism tradition of Hinduism. Durga Puja in Kolkata has been inscribed on the intangible cultural heritage list of UNESCO in December 2021. In Cuttack(Odisha) Many Durga Idols are Crafted from Silver. 34 Puja mandaps are decorated with silver tableaus. In Odisha the pandals feature stunning decorations, showcasing traditional and contemporary themes that attract thousands of visitors. Durga Puja which is celebrated as Gosani Yatra in Puri. In this festival of Puri, several big clay idols of Mahisamardini Durga are worshipped every year in the month of Asvina (October).
Vidyarambham, also rendered Akshara Abhyasam, and Mutal Eluttu is a Hindu initiation ceremony that is performed before a child begins their formal education. This ritual is dedicated to the goddess of learning, Saraswati. It is popular in the South Indian states of Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana.
Navadurga, also spelled Navdurga and Navadurgas, are nine manifestations and forms of Durga in Hinduism, especially worshipped during Navaratri and Durga Puja. They are often considered collectively as a single deity, mainly among the followers of Shaktism and Shaivism sect of Hinduism.
Katyayani (कात्यायनी) is an aspect of Mahadevi and the slayer of the tyrannical demon Mahishasura. She is the sixth among the Navadurgas, the nine forms of Hindu goddess Durga who are worshipped during the festival of Navaratri. She is depicted with four, ten or eighteen hands. This is the second name given to the goddess Adi Parashakti in Amarakosha, the Sanskrit lexicon.
Devi Kanya Kumari is a manifestation of the Hindu goddess Mahadevi in the form of an adolescent girl. She is variously described by various traditions of Hinduism to either be a form of Parvati or Lakshmi. She is also worshipped as an incarnation of the goddess Bhadrakali by Shaktas, and is known by several names such as Shrī Bāla Bhadra, Shrī Bāla, Kanya Devi, and Devi Kumari.
Matrikas (Sanskrit: मातृका (singular), IAST: mātṝkā, lit. "mothers") also called Matar or Matri, are a group of mother goddesses who are always depicted together in Hinduism. The Matrikas are often depicted in a group of seven, the Saptamatrika(s) (Seven Mothers). However, they are also depicted as a group of eight, the Ashtamatrika(s). In the Brihat Samhita, Varahamihira says that "Mothers are to be made with cognizance of (different major Hindu) gods corresponding to their names." They are associated with these gods as their spouses or their energies (Shaktis). Brahmani emerged from Brahma, Vaishnavi from Vishnu, Maheshvari from Shiva, Indrani from Indra, Kaumari from Kartikeya, Varahi from Varaha and Chamunda from Chandi. and additionals are Narasimhi from Narasimha and Vinayaki from Ganesha.
Dashain or Bada'dashain, also referred as Vijaya Dashami in Sanskrit, is a major Hindu religious festival in Nepal and the Indian states of Sikkim, West Bengal, Assam, South India, and Sri Lanka. It is also celebrated by other religions of Nepal and elsewhere in the world, including among the Lhotshampa of Bhutan and the Burmese Gurkhas of Myanmar. The festival is also referred as Nauratha, derived from the Sanskrit word for the same festival Navaratri which translates to Nine Nights.
Golu is the festive display of dolls and figurines in South India during the autumn festive season, particularly around the multiday Navaratri festival of Hinduism. These displays are typically thematic, narrating a legend from a Hindu text to court life, weddings, everyday scenes, and miniature kitchen utensils. They are also known as Golu, Gombe Habba, Bommai golu, or Bommala Koluvu.
This article lists the traditional festivals and other cultural events in the Odisha region of India. Odisha celebrates 13 festivals in 12 months as the saying goes Bāra Māsare Tera Parba.
The Biraja Temple, or Birija Kshetra, is a historic Hindu temple located in Jajpur, Odisha, India. The present temple was built during the 13th century. The principal idol is Devi Durga, who is worshipped as Viraja (Girija), and the temple gave Jajpur the nicknames "Viraja Kshetra" and "Biraja Peetha". The Durga idol has two hands (dwibhuja), spearing the chest of Mahishasura with one hand and pulling his tail with the other. One of her feet is on a lion, and the other is on Mahishasura's chest. Mahishasura is depicted as a water buffalo. The idol's crown features Ganesha, a crescent moon and a lingam. The temple covers a large area, and has several shrines to Shiva and other deities. According to the Skanda Purana it cleanses pilgrims, and it is called the Viraja or the Biraja kshetra. Jajpur is believed to have about one crore of Shiva lingams.
Varahi is one of the Matrikas, a group of seven mother goddesses in the Hindu religion who bears the head of a sow. In Nepal, she is called Barahi. In Rajasthan and Gujarat, she is venerated as Dandini.
Kanyā Pūjā or Kumārī Pūjā, is a Hindu holy ritual, carried out especially on the Ashtami and Navami of the Navaratri festival. The ceremony primarily involves the worship of nine girls, representing the nine forms of Goddess Durga (Navadurga). As per Hindu philosophy, these girls are considered the manifestation of the natural force of creation. Legend says that it was on the ninth day of Navaratri that Shakti had taken the form of Goddess Durga, on the request of the devas to kill the demon Mahisasura.
Ayudha Puja is a Hindu observance that falls on the ninth day of the bright half of the moon's cycle of 15 days in the month of September/October, popularly a part of the Navaratri festival. While the Navaratri festival is observed all over the country, the festivity that is widely marked as Ayudha Puja possesses slight variations of veneration and practices across India.
Navaratri is an annual Hindu festival observed in honor of the goddess Durga, an aspect of Adi Parashakti, the supreme goddess. For Shaivites and Shaktas, Durga is a form or actually is Goddess Parvati. It spans over nine nights, first in the month of Chaitra, and again in the month of Ashvin (September–October). It is observed for different reasons and celebrated differently in various parts of the Hindu Indian cultural sphere. Theoretically, there are four seasonal Navaratris. However, in practice, it is the post-monsoon autumn festival called Sharada Navaratri. There are 2 Gupta Navaratris or "Secret Navaratris" as well, one starting on the Shukla Paksha Pratipada of the Magha Month and another starting in the Shukla Paksha Pratipada of Ashadha Month.
Here is a list of glossary of culture of India in alphabetical order:
Mahagauri is the eighth form among the Navadurga aspects of the Hindu mother goddess Mahadevi. She is worshipped on the eighth day of Navaratri. Mahagauri is believed to be able to fulfill all the desires of her devotees.
Manibandh Shaktipeeth also known as Manivedika Shaktipeeth or Rajarajeshwari Puruhuta Manivedic Shaktipeeth, is one of the 51 sacred Shaktipeeths in Hinduism. It is located in Pushkar, Rajasthan, near Ajmer, India. The temple is believed to mark the site where Goddess Sati's wrists (Manibandh) fell, as described in Hindu mythology. The temple is also known locally as Chamunda Mata Mandir and holds significant religious importance.
