When most of us think of Navratri, we picture nine nights of lamps, music, dance, and the joyous chanting of “Jai Mata Di.” We think of Durga’s many forms—gentle, motherly, fierce, victorious. But hidden within the folds of Navratri is another rhythm, a deeper pulse—the call of KÄlÄ«, the time-devouring goddess, invoked through ancient homas.
š The Forgotten Fire of Navratri Nights
In Bengal, Navratri merges into Durga Puja, and by the final nights, you can hear the beating of dhak drums as if the earth itself were throbbing. Here, while the pandals glow with Durga’s majestic idol, the more secretive households and temples perform KÄlÄ« homas at midnight.
Unlike the public grandeur of Durga Puja, these rituals are intimate, fierce, and powerful. Black sesame crackling in the fire, red hibiscus petals charring in ghee, mantras whispered with trembling precision—this is the Navratri that does not show itself on the streets.
šŗ The Nine Nights, the Nine Flames
Each of the nine nights of Navratri is dedicated to a form of the Goddess—Shailaputri, Brahmacharini, Chandraghanta, and so on. But within the tantric tradition, practitioners map these nights onto nine steps of awakening through KÄlÄ«’s energy.
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On the first three nights, homas to Dakį¹£iį¹Ä KÄlÄ« may be performed, seeking protection and blessings.
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The middle three nights might invoke MahÄkÄlÄ« and BhadrakÄlÄ«, asking for destruction of inner enemies like fear, greed, and anger.
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The final three nights are often reserved for ÅmaÅÄna KÄlÄ« or Ugra KÄlÄ«, the most intense forms, symbolizing the burning away of illusion itself.
By the tenth day, Vijayadashami, the devotee is reborn—emptied, purified, victorious not just over demons, but over their own shadows.
š Stories that Keep the Fire Alive
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The King of Kamarupa (Assam): Chronicles tell of a king who, unable to win a crucial war, performed a MahÄkÄlÄ« homa during Navratri. He emerged not only victorious but credited his rule’s stability to that night of fire and sesame.
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Ramakrishna Paramahamsa (19th c.): In Dakshineswar, while others celebrated Durga Puja, he often slipped away at night into the temple courtyard, performing secret offerings to KÄlÄ«, describing her as both terrifying and infinitely tender.
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The Village Oracle of Kerala: During Navratri, BhadrakÄlÄ« temples conduct homas where devotees sit through the night. People believe that if the fire flares brightly when their name is chanted, the goddess herself has marked them for protection.
These stories remind us that while the world celebrates with music and color, the inner Navratri happens in firelight, ash, and silence.
šŗ Why KÄlÄ« in Navratri?
Navratri isn’t only about celebrating the goddess who slays external demons—it is also about facing the demons within. KÄlÄ« homas dramatize this in ritual form:
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The fire is the cremation ground.
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The offerings are the ego and attachments.
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The mantra is the sword that severs illusion.
By the end of Navratri, the devotee has not only worshipped Durga’s victory but has also tasted KÄlÄ«’s fierce grace, which whispers: “I devour time, but in me, you are beyond time.”
✨ The Two Navratris We All Live
There are always two Navratris—
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The public festival of lamps, dance, and victory.
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The private festival of fire, shadow, and surrender.
And perhaps the secret of the tradition is that they are not separate. The dance becomes sweeter because the fire has already burned within.
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