Special puja performed on 2nd day of Navratri at Delhi's Jhadewalan Temple

NEW DELHI: A special puja and aarti was performed on the second day of Navratri at Delhi's Jhadewalan temple. The second day of Navratri celebrations is dedicated to Goddess Brahmacharini, the Goddess of Penance.

The goddess wears a white saree and holds a Kamandal in her left hand and a rosary in the other. It is believed that she bestows her devotees with wisdom and knowledge. Earlier, the first day of Navratri was celebrated across the nation with enthusiasm. People grooved to Garba tunes in cities like Surat, Vadodara, Gandhinagar, and Indore, among others.

Dussehra or Vijaya Dashmi will be celebrated on October 24 with the culmination of Navratri on that day. The preparations for the festival are in full swing across the country.

The Durga Puja pandal of 'Pathurighata Pancher Palli' in Kolkata is breaking boundaries and a few taboos surrounding menstruation with its Menstrual Hygiene-themed pandal this year. Another pandal in Kolkata's Nakatala showcases the plight of families during the India-Bangladesh partition in 1971.

In Madhya Pradesh's Indore district, pandals and eye-catching statues of Goddess Durga have been prepared in view of the festivals. A Bengali artisan, Atul Pal, is known for creating the 'Raudra' form of Goddess Durga along with his team. People come to him in Indore from many districts in the state to get idols prepared for the festival.

Atul told ANI, "I along with a team of 25 people of Bengali artisans made Ganesh idols for the Ganesh Chaturthi festival and Goddess Durga idols for the Navratri festival. Preparations for the making of idols start six months before the festival begins and the most attractive sculptures are made at our place