Navrathiri Kolu..

Navrathiri/Dussehra is a festival of nine days for the three Hindu goddess Durga,Lakshmi and Saraswati for 3 days each.It is celebrated in different ways through out India.Gujarathis celebrate with Dandiya Raas.
Bengalis call it as Durga puja,which is the single most important festival of Bengalis.It is reveled with intense fervour and zest.Punjabi's Navrathiri is primarily a period of fasting.
While in TamilNadu,Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh it is called as Bommaikolu,which is actually arranging the dolls in temporarily constructed staircase.Women and children are invited every evening and they together sing songs and tell stories about the dolls/idols displayed in the Kolu.
And they are offered Sundal as prasadham.In Mysore,Dussehra is rejoiced with a procession of elephants in gaily dressed streets of the city..
I personally like Navrathiri festival more than other Hindu festivals.Because, you are into lots of activites and its the longest Hindu festival(NINE DAYS!)..
I recall my childhood Navrathiris associated with my cousin B.My aunt and Sistor G attired us as little Krishna and Yasodha .And we were taken to all the negihbouring homes to invite the aunties and the other kids to the Kolu.It was all lovely and full of fun.I also remember faintly from the picture of me in Garba dress,celebrating Dussehra with the Gujaratis and performing the Garba dance with the other kids.We were in Baroda(Gujarat) when I was 5 years old.It was altogether a beautiful experience which is filled with enthusiasm.
This year our Navrathiri kolu is set with five steps.Traditionally,Kolu steps are kept in odd numbers.I thought of putting the pictures of our kolu here,so that everybody could have our Kolu Darshan.Especially for my Dad , at Kuwait ,really miss this wonderful event every year.
I think this time I could compensate it to some extent through this post.


We created a 'park' like thing also!?

This is the Ranch,where the cattles are grazing over the bushes..And there is a nearby Dairy processing factory and few houses..


There is a nearby park,where two friends are enjoying their evening..



A group of playing kids smiling at me for the camera click...




A small water body..Or we can say an Oasis in the desert land :-)


There are depiction of parts of Ramayana stories and 'Deva loga' stories of Lord Shiva,Parvati,Muruga and Ganesha..



In the second row,there is a depiction of South Indian Hindu Marriage..


A group of African women were kept on display in the first step..



A Buddist monk is in meditation..And a gang of mischevious boys are in real mood to agitate the harmony of the monk..



A couple is selling pulses and rice...


The left side is depicting a scene of few women performing Puja for Goddess Saraswati..
'Aval Payasam' is kept for Neivedyam along with other Puja items.

HAPPY NAVRATHIRI!!

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