New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi wished the countrymen on the fifth day of the ongoing Chaitra Navratri festival on Saturday. On the fifth day of Chaitra Navratri, Panchmi, Goddess Skandmata is worshipped by the devotees. "On this day of Navratri, devotees of the goddess worship Goddess Skandamata, the fifth form of Goddess Durga. I pray to the Goddess, the provider of consciousness, to always bestow her blessings on all my countrymen," he stated in a post on social media platform X. नवरात्रि में माता के भक्त आज के दिन देवी दुर्गा के पंचम स्वरूप मां स्कंदमाता की पूजा-अर्चना करते हैं। नवचेतना की प्रदायिनी देवी स्कंदमाता से प्रार्थना है कि वे देश के मेरे सभी परिवारजनों पर सदैव अपनी कृपा बनाए रखें। pic.twitter.com/eSKkbu5Arb — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 13, 2024 The nine-day festival, which is also known as Rama Navratri, ends on Rama Navami, Lord Ram's birthday. During Chaitra Navratri, people also fast and worship the goddess Durga. They also perform Ghatasthapana, the invocation of goddess Shakti, which is a significant ritual followed during the period. Navratri also celebrates calmness and peacefulness in the form of Maha Gauri Mata. This year, Chaitra Navratri begins on April 9, 2024, and concludes on April 17, 2024. All nine days of Navratri are devoted to honoring the nine incarnations of the goddess 'Shakti'. The festival also marks the start of the Hindu New Year as per the Luni-solar calendar, and people in Maharastra celebrate it as Gudi Padwa, while Kashmiri Hindus observe it as Navreh. The occasion signals the onset of the warmer days and the spring season.
