Chaitra Navratri 2024 Live Updates: Chaitra Navratri is celebrated annually by Hindu devotees. This nine-day festival is dedicated to the worship of Maa Durga and her nine avatars – Maa Shailputri, Maa Brahmacharini, Maa Chandraghanta, Maa Kushmanda, Skanda Mata, Maa Katyayani, Maa Kaalratri, Maa Mahagauri and Maa Siddhidatri. Each day is dedicated to the worship of the nine avatars. This year, the festival begins on April 9. It ends with Ram Navami on April 17, which marks the birth of Lord Rama, the seventh avatar of Lord Vishnu and son of King Dasharatha and Queen Kausalya of Ayodhya. (Also Read | Chaitra Navratri 2024 Day 1: Who is Maa Shailputri? Date, time, Ghatasthapana muhurat, rituals, colour and puja vidhi)

On Day 1 of Chaitra Navratri, devotees worship Maa Shailputri, one of the nine incarnations of Devi Durga. Maa Shailputri is the provider of prosperity and all fortunes. Devotees hail Maa Shailputri as mother nature and pray to her for their spiritual awakening. On the first day, devotees also perform the significant ritual of Ghatasthapana or Kalash Sthapana. 

The nine-day festival of Navratri falls four times a year. However, Chaitra and Shardiya Navratri hold the most significance for Hindu devotees. Chaitra Navratri begins on the first day of the Hindu Luni-Solar calendar. The festival marks Goddess Durga’s birth of the cosmos and all living things within it. Devotees believe that Maa Durga arrives from heaven during Navratri and visits her devotees to bless them. The nine-day period is a time for praying, meditating, and fasting. During this time, devotees give up consuming non-vegetarian food, alcohol, and tobacco. They also consume food prepared without garlic and onion. They also worship Adi Shakti and her nine forms, read mantras, decorate their homes, and ask for Maa Durga’s blessings. (Also Read | Happy Chaitra Navratri 2024: Wishes, images, SMS, greetings, WhatsApp and Facebook status to share with your loved ones)