Day one of Navratri is Pratipada Tithi, which marks the arrival of the goddess Durga. The first day of the Navratri involves many celebrations. On the first day, Maa Shailputri is worshipped. Let us read more details about it.
Navratri is an auspicious Hindu festival celebrated in India. The festival celebrations last for 9 days. This year Navratri will begin on November 26. This festival is celebrated with great joy and many festivities. The festival is dedicated to the goddess Durga, which falls during the onset of autumn or the month of Ashwin, Shukla Paksha. On each day, there are forms of Durga that are celebrated on a particular day. So on the first day, Maa Shailputri is worshipped.
The meaning of the name Shailputri is ‘Shail’, which means mountain, and ‘Putri’, which means daughter of mountains. According to Hindu mythology, it is said that the goddess Sati after her self-immolation, was born as Shailputri to king Himalaya. She is depicted with two hands holding a Trishul in the right hand and a lotus in the left hand.
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To mark the beginning of the festival, Navratri - Ghatsthapana is done. This ritual marks the start of Navratri and is a significant ritual. This year Ghatsthapana will be done on September 26. The auspicious muhurat will occur from 06:11 AM to 07:51 AM, and the Ghatsthapna Abhijit Muhurat is from 11:48 AM to 12:36 PM. Navratri 2022 Pratipada Tithi will begin at 03:23 AM on September 26, 2022, and conclude at 03:08 AM on September 27, 2022.
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On the first day of Navratri, it is auspicious to wear the colour white. The colour white signifies purity, innocence, peace and calmness. And hence it should be worn on day one of Navratri. Maa Shailputri is also known as Vrisharudha, as her vehicle is a bull.
Maa Shailputri is offered oil lamps, flowers, sticks, fruits and sweets on the first day. Devotees seek her blessings for their family's well-being by chanting the mantra “Om Devi Shailputri Namah.” Devotees offer a prasad-made desi ghee which is shown as bhog.
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