The Jagdish Store Blog: How to prepare for Navratri Puja

Navratri, one of the biggest festivals of India is celebrated throughout the country in different forms with huge pomp and show. The festival lasts for 9 days starting from the day after Mahalaya and ends before Dussehra. This upcoming Navratri, observe and decorate your home with the following things. These are as below.

Cleanliness:

There is a famous saying ‘Cleanliness is next to Godliness’, which implies the importance of cleanliness in our life and also for this festival. Before performing the Pooja, make sure that your home is cleaned thoroughly and is free of germs.

Thaali:

The thaali is an essential part of this occasion. There are two types of thaali - the Pooja Thali and the Vrat Thaali. Decorate your Pooja Thali with items like vermillion, flowers, sacred water of the Ganges, sandalwood, bell, conch shell, rice, roli (powder used for tilak), incense sticks, diyas, betel leaves, areca nuts, fruits and sweets. Bells made of silver, brass and steel are recommended. Also apply items like the Swastika and Om in the Thaali which adds the spiritual fervour.

The Vrat Thaali, on the other hand, is best recommended to be decorated with food items that are Sattvic in nature according to the Vedic beliefs and rituals. The Sattvic food consists of items that are vegetarian with the exception of items like onion, garlic and mushroom. The most popular delicacies cooked for the Vrat Thaali are aloo papad, palak paneer, various types of chaats etc.

Food:

According to tradition, it’s best recommended to avoid foods, which are non-vegetarian in origin. Eat lots and lots of fruits (including dry fruits), sweetmeats and vegetables during the festival.