From temple visits to garba, HM Amit Shah’s Navratri engagements in Gujarat

Ahmedabad, Oct 16 (IANS) Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on Friday attended a raas garba celebration organised by the Navratri Yuvak Mandal in Kolvada village of Gujarat’s Gandhinagar district, describing the traditional dance as an expression of devotion to the Goddess and the cultural identity of Gujarat.

In a post on social media platform X, Shah said he had participated in the raas garba programme organised by the Navratri Yuvak Mandal in Kolvada.

“Garba embodies devotion to Maa Shakti and the fragrance of the land of Gujarat,” he wrote in Gujarati, referring to the religious significance of the traditional dance form.

The event was part of Shah’s engagements in Gujarat during Navratri, the nine-night Hindu festival dedicated to the worship of the divine feminine.

The festival is marked across Gujarat by garba and raas performances, with devotees gathering in community grounds and temple premises for evening celebrations.

Amit Shah’s participation in the Kolvada event came after a series of religious engagements across Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar on Friday.

Earlier in the day, he visited Jain spiritual leaders in Ahmedabad and sought their blessings.

He subsequently offered prayers at the Varadayini Mata temple in Rupal, Gandhinagar district, where he laid the foundation stone for an 81-foot-tall statue of Lord Shiva.

He later visited the Bahuchara Mata temple in Mansa with his family, participated in the aarti and prayed for the well-being of people in the state and across the country, according to officials.

Kolvada, also spelt Kolwada, is located in Gandhinagar district. The Navratri Yuvak Mandal’s raas garba programme was among the cultural events taking place in Gujarat during the festival.

Garba is one of Gujarat’s best-known traditional dance forms and is closely associated with Navratri.

Traditionally performed in a circle around an image or representation of the Goddess, it combines devotional singing, rhythmic movements and clapping.

Raas, often performed with decorated wooden sticks known as ‘dandiyas’, is another popular dance form associated with the festival.

The celebrations have become a defining feature of Navratri in Gujarat, bringing communities together through religious observance, music and dance.

–IANS

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