Navaratri . the nine nights of worship culminating in Vijaya Dashami.
Navaratri is celebrated across India from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, Gujarat to Bengal in various different ways.
Rama Krishna Paramahamsa, is one of the first names that comes to mind as a Devi devotee - Kali Bhakta, and of couse we have Kalidasa of the yore, who was blessed by the Goddess. Bengal and Kashmir have been the home of Sree Vidya and Devi Tantra(Kaula and Shakta), along with Bengal.
Coming South, of the musical trinity, Muthusawmi Deekshitar and Shyama Shastry were Devi devotees and have many compositions on the Goddess. (Thayagaraja's Ishta Daiva being Lord Rama).
Shyama Shastri devoted his many Kritis to the the Goddess. Kamakshi and used the mudra Shyama Krishna(think Shyamala). An anecdote devoted to Deekshitar says as he neared his end, he called one of his disciples and asked him to sing the composition "Meenakshi Memudaham", as the disciple sang Meenalochani Pashamochani, he asked him to repeat the line and breathed his last hearing these words.
Kanchi Kamakshi, Madurai Meenakshi and Kasi Vishalakshi, the most revered of Devi temples. And names oft repeated, amongst the many of the Goddess.
Traditionally, this was the time to go inward and reflect, with homes resounding to Devi Kritis by women and chants/reading by men - Devi Mahatmyam and Lalitha Sahasranamam.
And most of us had the Ravi Verma picture of Sree Rajarajeshwari at home, the one of the Goddess with purple sugarcane and attendants.
As a kid, Navaratri was the first break in the school year after the first quarterly exam. We had a learned Devi Upasaka come to our temple and he would conduct special tri-kala pujas. In the evenings, we would visit other homes or women came home for Haldi-Kumkum and in those days, I remember many Devi Kritis being sung, not Lalitha Sahasrnamam as has become popular today.
Mahishasura Mardhini stotram used to be popular, along with the first few verses from Soundarya Lahari. And the usual Kritis were -- Sree Chakra Raja, Sankari Sankaru, Karpaga vallinin, Naan Oru Villayattu Pillaya, Chandrabimba Vadani(a Tamil composition), Himagiri Thanaye, Pahimamam Sree Raja Rajeshwari. Maragathavalli, Annapurne Sada Poorne, O Jagadamba etc. So most of us kids from that era can hum Sree Chakra Raja and Karpaga Vallinin as these were sung the most.
Most of us kids were asked to sing, so we would sing Vara Veena or Rara Venu (Geethams), if I remember correctly. And decide, we would learn music seriously come Vijaya Dashami. 😃
Haldi Kumkum was the application of turmeric paste on the feet and offering kumkum, flowers to women visitng home and probably a sweet and definitely soaked chenna in Andhra and in Kerala, it was as Chundal. In Kerala, we had our Golus of lovely old dolls, usually hand downs from generation to generation and Marapachi(wooden figures). We visited Devi temples in our vicinity. Navaratri celebrations in Mysore were famous and many tried to visit Mysore, trying to combine it with a visit to Mookambika for Saraswati Puja. After early dinner, we listened to the Navaratri Kutchery on the radio with Mysore and Trivandrum competiting for attention.
On the Ashtami, we kept our study books in the Puja room for Saraswati Puja the next day. We stayed awake until mid-night as Ashtami marks the night Devi killed Mahishasura.
Saraswati Puja is on Navami and probably the happiest day for students as we were not allowed to read or write at all. We worship Goddess Saraswati, the Goddess of wisdom on this day.
On Dashami, after a hair bath, we would sit in the Puja room and start with Vidyarambham - writing the alphabets and numbers in all languages in rice and then reading a bit. After this came,Ayudha Puja and Amma would make us apply sandal paste and kumkum to all appliances in the house.
In Andhra, in the evening, we had a cermeony for a tree called *Jammi*, this tree is supposedly where Arjuna hid his bow,arrows during the Pandava Vanavas. And the tree hid it very cleverly and thus helped Arjuna. It is treated as a mark of loyalty and frienship and after the puja of a stem of the trees, the leaves are exchanged among friends. (Happy Friendship Day)
Vijaya Dashami was marked with a rush of new pupils for starting Music and Dance classes, the enthusiasm for most of us fading though by Dec.
So, this used to be a solemn festival(no new clothes, special sweets etc) in the South. And a women's festival in many ways, with Golu, Kolam and women coming for Vethalai Pakku(Haldi-Kumkum).
Happy Navaratri.
Enclosed a link to the Sree Chakra Raja Kriti sung by Sudha Raghunathan - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPCVPdZzLtg&ab_channel=AmuthamMusic
