Goddess Durga – The Divine Energy

In India, the worship which surpasses all others in excellence is of Goddess Durga among the Hindus. Looked upon with profound regard by them, it may be called their national festival. In different parts of India, Goddess Durga, the Mother of the universe is adored in different names, such as, Amba and Ambika in Kashmere and Deccan, Hingala and Rudrani in Gujarat, Kalyani in Kanyakubja, Uma in Mithila, and Kanyakumari in Kumarika. Thus the autumnal Durga-worship or the divine ritual, called the Navaratra (the Nine Nights’ Worship) is held everywhere in India, from the Himalayas to Cape Comorin and from Dwaraka and Hinglaj of Beluchistan to Pun, the holy land of Sri Jagannath. Also the Buddhists of Nepal, Bhutan, Sikkim, and Tibet have their nine nights’ ritual. And what is more, the Goddess is being venerated and worshipped in places outside India, such as, China, Japan, Kambuja, Champa, and Java, where Hinduism and Buddhism had been preached.