Navratri 2023: In Rajkot, Rajput women perform the “Garba” while holding swords

Tuesday was the third day of the Navratri celebration in Rajkot, Gujarat, when ladies performed the “Garba” while riding two-wheelers and carrying swords. In Gujarat, there is a custom known as “Talwar Ras” or “Sword-wielding,” in which ladies dressed in traditional Rajputana garb execute a special Garba ritual to honor Goddess Durga.

The married version of Goddess Mahagauri, Goddess Chandraghanta, is worshipped on the third day of Navratri. She goes by the name Chandra-Ghanta, which means a bell-shaped half-moon.

What is ‘Talwar Ras’?
According to experts on Gujarati folklore, Talwar Ras was made to honor Rajput war warriors who perished in the famous battle of Bhuchar Mori (July 18, 1591). Gujarat hosts several other Ras performances. The agricultural group, the warrior community, the nautical community, and even the Muslim Maldhari community all conduct around six different varieties of Ras.

Several Puranas, including the Harivamsa Purana, Vishnu Purana, and Bhagavad Purana, also describe Raas. It often has a set framework with 16–20 musicians and dancers.

India performs morning ‘aarti’
On the third day of Navratri, ‘aarti’ was performed in the morning at temples all across the nation. While a sizable crowd of devotees arrived to offer prayers and participate in the morning aarti, the temple’s “pujaris” offered prayers to Goddess Durga. ‘Aarti’ was performed at Mumbai’s Mumba Devi Temple in Maharashtra to start the third day of the nine-day Hindu festival of Navratri.

During the aarti, the temple resounded with the sounds of the bell and other instruments.The Gujarati Umiya Temple in Surat also had a morning aarti. In Kerala, “Bommai Kolu” was observed at the Sree Dharma Sastha Temple in Thrissur.

The nine-day Shardiya Navratri celebration is held in honor of Maa Durga and her nine manifestations, known as Navdurga. Sanskrit’s word for Navratri is “nine nights.” Throughout the year, Hindus celebrate a total of four Navratris. Shardiya Navratri is celebrated from Ashwin Shukla Paksha’s Navami till the Pratipada. While it is celebrated throughout the country with considerable pomp, certain customs are more often followed in different states.

There are many different methods to celebrate Navratri in India. Various regions of the nation have Ramlila celebrations, which include episodes from the Ramayana. The culmination of the tale is signaled on Vijayadashami by the burning of King Ravana’s effigies.