RELIGION

Durga Puja is an annual -- ten-day festival celebrating Goddess Durga's triumph over a powerful demon called Mahishasur who managed to get a boon from Brahma

Mother Shailputri is a manifestation of the mother goddess Mahadevi also referred to as Adi Parashakti, Adi Shakti, or Abhaya Shakti -- the supreme goddess in Hinduism. The name “Shailaputri” literally means shaila (mountain) putri (daughter)

Maa Chandraghanta or Rannchandi has a third eye in the middle of her forehead and has ten arms. She is worshipped on the 3rd day of the Navratri festival.

Goddess Kushmanda is understood to have created the world with her divine smile. Even the poorest of the poor can worship Goddess Kushmanda. All she needs is love, respect and devotion (a rare commodity these days) from her devotees. These are more valuable to her than the glossy, packaged things that are available in the market.

Skandamata is the fifth form of Navadurga or Mahadevi. Her name is derived from Skanda - another name for Karthikeya the God of war and Mata, meaning mother.

Goddess Katyayani the sixth form of Navadurgas or Mahadevi. She has four, ten or eighteen hands. Goddess Katyayani represents the fiercest forms of Maa Durga

Siddhidatri is the 9th and final form of Goddess Durga. Siddhi means accomplishment. Siddhidatri is a powerful and benevolent deity

The 7th day of Navratri is dedicated to the worship of Goddess Kalratri one of the fierce forms of Devi Parvati. She is the destroyer of darkness and ignorance

According to Hindu mythology, Mahagauri was the daughter of King Himalaya and Queen Maina and was called Parvati. Princess Parvati grew up to be a good girl who desperately wanted to marry Lord Shiva.

Lord Krishna is believed to be an incarnation and eighth avatar of Lord Vishnu. Any talk of Lord Krishna is incomplete without mentioning the love of Radha

In a landmark judgment on March 22, 2024, a Division Bench of the Allahabad High Court struck down the UP Madarsa Education Act, 2004

Guru Tegh Bahadur was the youngest son of Guru Hargobind the sixth Sikh guru and ninth of ten Sikh Gurus. He started the concept of langars – to feed the hungry