The festival of nine nights dedicated to Goddess Durga has begun today amidst pleasant weather conditions. Beginning today, Chaitra Navratri will continue for nine days. Gudi Padvo and Cheti Chand mark the beginning of the nine day festival. During Navratri, Ram Navmi and Sahjanand Jayanti are other two festivals to be celebrated on the ninth day of Chaitra Navratri.
The Chaitra Navratri is mainly celebrated in North India, especially in the areas of Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Haryana. Thousands of devotees marked their presence at the world famous Katra shrine, The Vaishno Devi temple. Also, The hilltop Naina Devi temple in Bilaspur district, Brajeshwari Devi temples in Kangra district and Chintpurni temple in Una district witnessed a huge rush.
The weather is bright and sunny in North India with the maximum temperatures rising towards the high 20’s. The maximum temperature at Katra was recorded at 24.5°C, whereas the minimum settled at a slightly colder note at 14°C. Jammu recorded a maximum of 27.3°C whereas the minimum again hovered around 14.8°C. The first three days of the festival will be celebrated amidst good weather conditions.
However, a wet spell may affect parts of Jammu and Kashmir along with some other areas in North India on March 24 and 25. Some parts of Jammu & Kashmir may observe snowfall. Again, on March 26, the area will experience good weather without a rainy spell. The last two days of the nine day festival i.e. March 27 and 28 may observe another spell of rain.
The temperatures in the plains of Punjab and Haryana are on a rising trend. Amritsar recorded a maximum of 27.6°C. Ambala also observed the same trend with the maximum being recorded at 27°C.
