By IANS,
Lucknow : Amidst vedic chants and religious hymns, devotees here in Uttar Pradesh thronged the temples as Navratri – the nine-day festival dedicated to Goddess Durga – began Wednesday.
Eager to offer coconuts, ‘chunris’, bangles, vermilion and other religious items, devotees in serpentine queues were seen waiting for their turn outside the temples to seek the deity’s blessings.
“It is believed the devotees who pray and fast during the auspicious occasion are blessed by the divine mother,” Dev Narayan Shastri, a priest at the Kalibari temple, told reporters.
Besides the Kalibari temple in Chowk locality, a heavy rush of devotees was also witnessed at Maa Chaturbhuji temple in Gosainganj, Bhagwati temple in Aliganj and Chandrika Devi temple in Bakshi ka talab – situated on the outskirts of the city.
“Prayers during Navratra hold special significance as they are answered by the Goddess Durga if offered with a true heart,” said devotee Satyadev Mishra.
The nine nights of the festival are devoted to the reverence of the nine aspects of the divine mother.