Sept 29 Navaratri Day 8: Maa Mahagauri, Odisha Weaves & Durban Ties

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Maa Mahagauri on Navaratri Day 8 – Peacock Green & Handloom Grace

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Navaratri Day 8 – Maa Mahagauri, Handloom Elegance & Diaspora Joy

 

Celebrate Navaratri Day 8 with Maa Mahagauri’s purity, Odisha’s silver filigree pandals, Sambalpuri weaves, and Durban’s peacock green diaspora spirit.

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🌸 Navaratri Day 8 – Maa Mahagauri: Purity, Peacock Green, and Odisha’s Silver Heritage

Date: September 29, 2025
Color of the Day: Peacock Green
Focus States & Diaspora: Odisha (Cuttack’s silver filigree pandals) & Durban, South Africa (Indian diaspora).

✨ The Radiance of Maa Mahagauri

On the eighth day of Navaratri, devotees invoke Maa Mahagauri, the goddess of forgiveness, serenity, and purity. She rides a bull, clad in white, radiating calmness and offering freedom from suffering.

The symbolic color for Day 8 is peacock green, a hue that bridges spirituality with elegance. It carries shades of both green (renewal, balance) and blue (devotion, depth), mirroring the many roles Mahagauri plays in the lives of her worshippers.

 

Her very name, Mahagauri, means “the great fair one.” She is traditionally portrayed in radiant white attire, riding a white bull, radiating serenity and forgiveness. Yet, the Navaratri tradition assigns peacock green as the color for Day 8. This creates a beautiful interplay of symbolism: white stands for purity in its untouched essence, while peacock green celebrates renewal, growth, and harmony in the world outside. Together, they remind us that inner calm (white) and outer expression (green) are both gifts of the goddess.

 

📍 Odisha’s Glorious Ashtami – The Shine of Silver in Cuttack

Cuttack’s Durga Puja pandals are famous not only for grandeur but for their chandi medha (silver filigree backdrops). Entire tableaux shimmer under the artistry of skilled craftsmen who work year-round to assemble this splendor. Some pandals even feature gold plating, but it is silver filigree that has given Cuttack its unique identity.

Durga Ashtami here is both devotional and cultural. The dazzling pandals, rhythmic dhak beats, and handloom-clad devotees form a picture of Odisha’s timeless devotion.

🧵 Handloom Weaves – Odisha’s Textile Symphony

If silver filigree is Odisha’s sparkle, handlooms are its soulful fabric. Wearing a handloom during Durga Puja is both fashion and reverence — a way to honor tradition and artisanship.

Let’s explore Odisha’s weaves more deeply:

1. Sambalpuri Ikat

  • Known worldwide for its bandha (tie-and-dye) technique.
  • Patterns often feature shells, wheels, and flowers.
  • Worn in temples, on festive occasions, and increasingly, by diaspora communities.

2. Bomkai (Sonepuri)

  • A fusion of ikat and embroidery-like threadwork.
  • Borders and pallus carry motifs like lotus and rudraksha.
  • Considered auspicious for religious rituals.

3. Kotpad

  • Dyed naturally with aal (madder) root.
  • Tribal weavers craft earthy shades with traditional motifs.
  • Eco-friendly and spiritually resonant.

4. Dongria Kondh Shawls

  • Handwoven by tribal communities of the Niyamgiri Hills.
  • Bold diamond patterns represent mountains and rivers.
  • A true symbol of harmony with nature.

📊 Odisha’s Handloom Highlights

Weave

Technique

Motifs & Colors

Navaratri Connection

Sambalpuri Ikat

Tie-dye resist

Conch, wheel, flowers

Popular for Puja attire

Bomkai

Extra weft + ikat

Lotus, rudraksha, temple borders

Elegant for rituals

Kotpad

Vegetable-dyed

Tribal motifs, earthy reds & browns

Eco-conscious spirituality

Dongria Shawl

Tribal handloom

Diamond, mountain motifs

Diaspora identity, folk strength

🌍 Diaspora Lens – Durban, South Africa

Durban hosts one of the largest Indian-origin populations outside India, and Navaratri here is a festival of continuity. Temples become vibrant spaces of prayer, music, and food, while community halls host cultural shows — dances, dramas, and bhajan evenings.

Peacock green finds natural expression here:

  • Attire: Women drape saris or salwar suits in shades of green and blue, often embroidered with zari borders.
  • Stage Decor: Diaspora communities adorn stages with green fabrics and peacock motifs, linking the day’s color with cultural performance.
  • Community Identity: Green, symbolizing growth and harmony, is also a favored color during temple prayers, tying Indian traditions with African soil.

📊 Peacock Green in South Africa’s Navaratri

Aspect

Expression in Durban

Attire

Green/blue saris with zari borders, kurtas with embroidered collars

Stage Design

Peacock feathers, green drapery, lighting with blue-green hues

Community Symbolism

Green as growth and balance in faith and diaspora identity

🌿 Cultural Threads – Beyond Borders

  • Silver Filigree of Cuttack → symbol of precision and continuity.
  • Handloom Weaves → threads of memory, faith, and artistry.
  • Peacock Green Diaspora → bridges the homeland with distant shores.

Together, they form a tapestry of Day 8 devotion: shining silver, woven fabrics, and diaspora resilience.

🌸 Reflections for Day 8

1.    Artistry in Worship: From filigree to ikat, devotion is expressed in design.

2.   Identity Through Fabric: Handlooms are more than garments — they are heritage.

3.   Colors That Connect: Peacock green unites India and South Africa in symbolic harmony.

🌺 Closing Weave

Day 8 of Navaratri is not just worship; it is a celebration of purity, artistry, and global devotion. From Cuttack’s silver brilliance to Durban’s peacock green stages, the spirit of Maa Mahagauri lives on.

Her blessings remind us that purity and calmness can be carried across oceans, stitched into saris, draped on stages, and celebrated in communities worldwide.

💚 On this Ashtami, may every thread and every shimmer reflect her grace.

💬 Disclaimer

This blog is a personal reflection intertwining Navaratri traditions, cultural observations, and the evolving story of Safe ePayments.
It does not represent the views of any bank, institution, or organisation.

 

🌿💳🧠🌍Appeal  for Safe ePay Day 🌟

 

## Call to Action 

I urge governments, financial institutions, businesses, and communities worldwide to join hands in declaring April 11 as **Safe ePay Day**.

Let’s celebrate UPI’s milestone by making **Safe ePay Day** a global movement for secure, innovative fintech.

Together, we can build a future where financial access is universal, and every e-payment is safe—starting with **Safe ePay Day** in 2026.

 

No Vada Pav, not even one bite,
Till SafeePay Day takes off in flight.
Quirky vow with a Mumbai flair—
Announce the date, and I’ll be there!

 

📌 References

1.    Nayakanti, P. (2025, September 7). September 07 — National Buy a Book Day and April 11 — Safe ePay Day: Building Trust, One Page and One Payment at a Time. Medium.
Retrieved from https://medium.com/@nshantin/september-07-national-buy-a-book-day-and-april-11-safe-epay-day-building-trust-one-80483f34d7e7

2.   Nayakanti, P. (2025, August 13). 218th Lalbagh Flower Show via RV Road Interchange! Innovation in Banking.
Retrieved from https://innovationinbanking.blogspot.com/2025/08/august-13-metro-rides-blooms-218th.html

Prashant Nayakanti. (n.d.). LinkedIn profile. Retrieved September 2025, from
https://in.linkedin.com/in/prashantnayakanti

 

 

 


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