GK Questions on Navaratri

Navaratri 

Navaratri (literally "nine nights"), also spelled Navratri or Navarathri, is a nine nights (and ten days) Hindu festival, celebrated in the Tamil month of Purattasi (17 September to 17 October) every year. It is celebrated differently in various parts of the Indian subcontinent. There are two seasonal Navaratri in a year. This festival in this month is called Sharada Navaratri that is the most celebrated for Goddess Durga.

It was India's famous festival. In India, Goddess Durga battles and emerges victorious over the buffalo demon Mahishasuran to help restore Dharma.

Celebrations include stage decorations, recital of the legend, enacting of the story, and chanting of the scriptures of Hinduism. The nine days are also a major seasonal and cultural event, and the public celebrations of classical and folk dances of Hindu culture. On the final day, called the Vijayadashami or Dussehra, the statues are either immersed in a water body such as river and ocean, or alternatively the statue symbolizing the evil is burnt with fireworks marking evil's destruction.

[Source: https://en.wikipedia.org]

General Knowledge Questions on Navaratri 

Question 1: Which religion celebrates the festival of Navratri?

Answer: Hinduism

Hinduism is an Indian religion and dharma, or way of life, widely practised in the Indian subcontinent and parts of Southeast Asia. Hinduism has been called the oldest religion in the world, and some practitioners and scholars refer to it as Sanātana Dharma, "the eternal tradition", or the "eternal way", beyond human history. Scholars regard Hinduism as a fusion or synthesis of various Indian cultures and traditions, with diverse roots and no founder. This "Hindu synthesis" started to develop between 500 BCE and 300 CE, after the end of the Vedic period (1500 BCE to 500 BCE), and flourished in the medieval period, with the decline of Buddhism in India.

Question 2: Which God/Goddess is worshiped during Navratri?

Answer: Goddess Durga

Durga, identified as Adi Parashakti, is a principal and popular form of Hindu Goddess. She is the warrior goddess, whose mythology centres around combating evils and demonic forces that threaten peace, prosperity and dharma of the good. She is the fierce form of the protective mother goddess, willing to unleash her anger against wrong, violence for liberation and destruction to empower creation.

Durga is depicted in the Hindu pantheon as a Goddess riding a lion or tiger, with many arms each carrying a weapon, often defeating Mahishasura (lit. buffalo demon). The three principle forms of Durga worshiped are Maha Durga, Chandika and Aparajita. Of these, Chandika has two forms called Chandi who is of the combined power and form of Saraswati, Lakshmi and Parvati and of Chamunda who is a form of Kali created by the goddess for killing demons Chanda and Munda. Maha Durga has three forms: Ugrachanda, Bhadrakali and Katyayani. Bhadrakali Durga is also worshiped in the form of her nine epithets called Navadurga.

She is a central deity in Shaktism tradition of Hinduism, where she is equated with the concept of ultimate reality called Brahman. One of the most important texts of Shaktism is Devi Mahatmya, also known as Durgā Saptashatī or Chandi patha, which celebrates Durga as the goddess, declaring her as the supreme being and the creator of the universe. Estimated to have been composed between 400 and 600 CE, this text is considered by Shakta Hindus to be as important a scripture as the Bhagavad Gita. She has a significant following all over India, Bangladesh and Nepal, particularly in its eastern states such as West Bengal, Odisha, Jharkhand, Assam and Bihar. Durga is revered after spring and autumn harvests, specially during the festival of Navratri.

Question 3: Name the  nine Avatars of Goddess Durga.

Answer:  Shailaputri, Brahmacharini, Chandraghanta, Kushmanda, Skandmata, Katyayani, Kalaratri, Mahagauri, Sidhidatri

   

Question 4: Name the demon who fights with Goddess Durga during Navratri?

Answer: Mahishasura

Durga has been a warrior goddess, and she is depicted to express her martial skills. Her iconography typically resonates with these attributes, where she rides a lion or a tiger, has between eight and eighteen hands, each holding a weapon to destroy and create. She is often shown in the midst of her war with Mahishasura, the buffalo demon at the time she victoriously kills the demonic force.

Question 5: Which Sikh Guru was an ardent devotee of goddess Durga?

Answer: Guru Angad

Guru Angad (31 March 1504 – 29 March 1552) was the second of the ten Sikh Gurus. He was born in a Hindu family, with the birth name as Lehna, in the village of Harike (now Sarae Naga, near Muktsar) in northwest Indian subcontinent. Bhai Lehna grew up in a Khatri family, his father was a small scale trader, he himself worked as a pujari (priest) and religious teacher centered around goddess Durga. He met Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, and became a Sikh. He served and worked with Guru Nanak for many years. Guru Nanak gave Bhai Lehna the name Angad ("my own limb), chose Angad as the second Sikh Guru instead of his own sons.

After the death of Guru Nanak in 1539, Guru Angad led the Sikh tradition. He is remembered in Sikhism for adopting and formalizing the Gurmukhi alphabet from pre-existing Indo-European scripts such as the Tankre of the Himalayan region. He began the process of collecting the hymns of Nanak, contributed 62 or 63 hymns of his own. Instead of his own son, he chose a Vaishnava Hindu Amar Das as his successor and the third Guru of Sikhism

Question 6: What is the Significance of Each night days in navratri?

Answer: The festival is associated to the prominent battle that took place between Durga and demon Mahishasura and celebrates the victory of Good over Evil. These nine days are solely dedicated to Goddess Durga and her nine Avatars. Each day is associated to an incarnation of the goddess:

Day 1: Shailaputri (Arya)

Known as Pratipada, this day is associated to Shailaputri (literally "Daughter of Mountain"), an incarnation of Parvati. It is in this form that the Goddess is worshiped as the consort of Shiva; she is depicted as riding the bull, Nandi, with a trishula in her right hand and lotus in her left. Shailaputri is considered to be the direct incarnation of Mahakali. The color of the day is red, which depicts action and vigor.

Day 2: Brahmacharini

On Dwitiya, Goddess Brahmacharini, another incarnation of maa Parvati when she penance to achieve her goal to have Shiva as her husband.

Day 3: Chandraghanta

Tritiya commemorates the worship of Chandraghanta - married form of maa Parvati

Day 4: Kushmanda

Goddess Kushmanda is worshiped on Chaturthi. Believed to be the creative power of universe, Kushmanda associated to the endowment of vegetation on earth and hence, the color of the day is Green. She is depicted as having eight arms and sits on a Tiger.she is Mahalaxmi adya Shakti gauri

Day 5: Skandmata

Skandamata, the goddess worshiped on Panchami, is the mother of Skanda (or Kartikeya). The color Grey is symbolic of the transforming strength of a mother when her child is confronted with danger. She is depicted riding a ferocious lion, having four arms and holding her baby.

Day 6: Katyayani

Born to a sage, Katyayana, she is an incarnation of maa Parvati and is shown to exhibit courage which is symbolized by the color Orange to kill MAHISHASURA. Known as the warrior goddess, she is considered one of the most violent forms of Goddess aadya shakti. In this avatar, Kātyāyanī rides a lion and has four hands.

Day 7: Kalaratri

Considered the most ferocious form of Goddess Durga, Kalaratri is revered on Saptami. It is believed that Parvati removed her fair skin to kill the demons Sumbha and Nisumbha. The color of the day is White. On Saptami, the Goddess appears in a white colour attire with a lot of rage in her fiery eyes, her skin turns black. The white colour portrays prayer and peace, and ensures the devotees that the Goddess will protect them from harm.

Day 8: Mahagauri

Mahagauri symbolizes intelligence and peace. The color associated to this day is Pink which depicts optimism.She has extremely fair complexion and therefore Maa is compared with the conch, the moon and the white flower of Kunda. Radiant and compassionate, Maa Maugauri is usually depicted in a white or green saari and riding a bull. She is also known as Shwetambardhara. Maa Mahagauri purifies the souls of Her devotees and removes all their sins. She has a calming effect on the lives of Her devotees and she also helps them improve their knowledge.

Day 9: Sidhidatri

On the last day of the festival also known as Navami, people pray to Siddhidhatri. Sitting on a lotus, she is believed to possess and bestows all type of Siddhis. Here she has four hands. Also known as Mahalakshmi Devi. The light blue colour of the day portrays an admiration towards the nature's beauty.

Question 7: Navratri is also called as

Answer: Durga Puja

Question 8: How many seasonal Navratri's are celebrated in a year?

Answer: Two

Question 9: What are the four types of Navratri?

Answer: Vasant Navratri, Ashadha Navratri, Sharad Navratri and Magha Navratri.

Question 10: When is Sharada Navaratri celebrated?

Answer: During the months of September-October.

Question 11: When is Vasanta Navaratri celebrated?

Answer: During March-April.

Question 12: What Mahishasura represents?

Answer: Egotism

Mahishasura is both reviled as well as worshipped by sections of Hindus. For some, he was a buffalo demon in Hindu mythology whereas some have argued its validity from time to time. He is known among some sections of Hindus for his deception and as someone who pursued his evil ways by shape shifting into different forms. He was ultimately killed by Durga getting named Mahishasuramardini. It is an important symbolic legend in Hindu mythology, particularly Shaktism. The legendary battle of Mahishasura as evil and Durga as good is narrated in many parts of South Asian and Southeast Asian Hindu temples, monuments and texts such as the Devi Mahatmya.

Question 13: Who is the daughter of Himalaya?

Answer: Shailputri 

Shailaputri (lit. daughter of the mountains) is a manifestation of the Hindu goddess, Durga and is one of the first Navadurga's venerated during the first day of Navratri.She is also known as Sati, Bhavani, Parvati or Hemavati. Mother Shailaputri is the absolute form of Mother Nature.