Get Inspired By These 10 Navratri Mandap Decoration Ideas and Add a Colourful and Glamourous Touch to the Festival (2020)

Diversity is the unique feature of Indian culture and it reflects in everything from language, food and attire.

Even the method of worshipping changes in every aspect from region to region with unique customs and rituals giving a distinctive religious touch. For Hindus, Navratri is one such festival which is celebrated with mind-boggling diversity. Navaratri means nine nights in our Sanskrit and during these nine nights and ten days different forms of Goddesses are worshipped, and it is celebrated in different ways across India

Navaratri is celebrated with great fervour in Northern India as the victory of Lord Rama over the evil Ravana. It celebrates Ramlila which is enacted ceremoniously during Dussehra. The effigies of Ravana and Kumbhakarna are burnt to celebrate the victory of Lord Rama over the evil forces on the ‘Vijayadashami’ day. Mother Divine is honoured with special pujas, yagnas, homas, fasting silence, meditation, singing and dancing during these nine days. In North India giving a gift is quite common which can be clothes, sweets or household gifts.

The last five days of Navratri is celebrated in the North-Eastern part of India, West Bengal. Devi Durga is shown with various weapons in her hand riding on a fierce lion. The weapons denote the focus and severity which we need to destroy the negativity in our minds, and the lion denotes Dharma and the will power. Decorated and handcrafted life-sized clay idols of Devi Durga are worshipped for five days depicting her victory over the evil that is Mahishasura are set up in the temples, mandaps and even homes. The idols are worshipped with grace for five festive days and then immersed in the river on the fifth day. The planning to celebrate the festival starts the month before its arrival. Buying new dresses for every family member and visiting the super fancy mandaps wearing them is a traditional way to celebrate the festive days.

In the Western part of India Navratri is celebrated with famous Garba and Dandiya-Raas dance which is a graceful form of dance of Gujarat. There women circles around a pot containing lamp. Garba which means ‘archa’ (womb) and this pot dance with a lamp represents life within the womb. Men and women dance with a pair of bamboo sticks tied with ghungroos which makes jingling sound called dandiyas in their hands. The dance has a complicated rhythm which makes the person not only dance solo but also with one or multiple partners in a circle. Navaratri is the time when you should visit Gujarat and take part in this festival. The sound of dhol in a unique rhythmic pattern and experiencing the smell of ‘Dhun’ with the ‘aratis’ during the puja is quite an experience for anyone.

In Southern India, Navaratri is celebrated as Kolu which is an exhibition of various dolls and figurines and inviting friends and relatives and neighbours. In Kannada the exhibition is called as Babe Habba, Bommai Kolu, in Malayalam it is called Bomma Gullu and Bommala Koluvu in Telugu. Navaratri is known as Dasara in Karnataka and Yakshagana is a night-long dance in the form of epic dramas from Puranas which depicts the triumph of life. It is observed as the state festival steered by the royal family of Mysore and Jumbo Safari is a must-see. Navaratri connects something bigger than all of us and these rituals are the connecter of this truth.

After all the arrangements on the floor during the Navratri decoration, sometimes we see something is missing. That missing part in the wall craves for something unique and there comes the role of beautiful sculptures. Once you find a piece of art that is perfect for your decoration and also you love it, work with it on your bare wall. The ceramic wall sculpture can be the focal point of the mandap of Navaratri. The homeartisan.in presents a Lotus Leaf Ceramic Wall Sculpture, which comes in a set of four, is a finely detailed ceramic wall décor. These lotus leaf sculptures have an artistic appeal that will look unique in the Navratri mandap. You can be a little creative and use these leaves with wall fish sculptures to create a beautiful lotus pond scenery. It is a high-quality ceramic construction with intricate details.

If you are an artistic person and love history by all means, then you can think of some innovative decors like a hurricane for your mandap decoration, as they are related to our past and look great at the same time. Oil lamps like hurricanes have always an honoured place in human history from the palaces of Ancient Rome to the humble houses of India. Many Americans say they wouldn't live without them despite the dependency on electricity. Hurricanes have been a major historical improvement in lamp design. Nicobar is a beautiful website to visit and buy a different kind of items which is useful for decoration purpose. The ‘Dune Lamp’ is a gold-coloured hurricane which is made up of glass and aluminum. You can use a small pillar candle or tea light candle inside it for dancing flickering light. It has the shape of the lantern and mostly a borrowed design from the pots and utensils used by the Banjaras or nomads. The price for this item is Rs. 2,650 and its dimension is 13 x 14 cm.

There are a variety of ways you can use chimes to decorate and also bring positive energy to your place. Generally, chimes come in traditional like ‘chi lin chime’ or ‘mystic knot wind chime’ but you can use some of them for decorating your Navratri mandap too. Just remember to put the chime at a particular place, and not over the door or some low area where it can be hit by people. Avoid areas where people will sit or sleep as it can disturb them. The cute chirping bird wind chime by Chumbak is a yellow coloured decorative chime which will be a great addition to the decoration of your mandap. It is made from MDF, metal, glass and painting in beautiful hues of colours. It is very much versatile to use on any occasion you want and it is great to gift someone too. The height of this decorative chime is 99 cm and the price is Rs. 495.

Italians call the scented wax tablets as ‘tavolette di Cera promote’, and is famous worldwide. Essential oils are the key ingredients of the wax tablets and the oils used are of the highest qualities. Through the process of steam distillation or cold-pressed, i.e. from the fruit rind, the essential oils from plants are extracted to fragrance essences. This fragrance comes from various parts of the plants such as dried flowers, grass, seeds, resin, roots and barks. The wax tablets are handmade. The Forest Essentials India is a renowned brand which had a beautiful handmade wax tablet that you can easily use for decoration of your Navratri mandap for an elegant look and beautiful natural smell. It is a rich and delightfully scented accessory that brings a personalized and subtle aroma wherever you use it. It is made with organic beeswax and infused with lavender and basil essential oil. It is embossed with a beautiful floating motif of its dried pressed spices and flowers. Enjoy the sweet lingering fragrance. It has 100% organic beeswax and lasts up t 3-6 months after unpacking, depending on how you use it. The price for this wax tablet is Rs. 975 inclusive of all taxes.

Lighting changes the ambience of a place, especially if it is a vibrant function and festival like Navratri. Depending on the size of the mandap, you can place the glow lights with natural lights. The element of the right choice of light transforms the place into a seamless combination of functionality and style. Cycle has a collection of designer glow lights in a pack of three which has a red, blue and green glow lights. They are unscented and the overall dimension is 16.2 x 5.4 x 6.4 cm. The price of this decorative item is Rs. 175. You can use it in the evening decorating the mandap along with artificial flowers around it.

Earthen wares are eco-friendly materials that can prep up your ethnic festival mandap with glam and glory. It is a traditional idea as well as eye soothing. Today the concept of earthen pot has developed to a greater extent and you can create the desired ambience with the array of different shapes and textures. Earthen has been a major part of home decoration and other occasions. In the present day, the potters and other handcraft stores create a variety of designs that comes as painted, embellished, mirrors, plaster of Paris, and clay or glass pieces. It also comes in different exquisite shapes, which are delicately designed. Morataara brings products looks different than other roadside clay pots as they are well designed. These terracotta pots are cute additions to any Indian festivals especially Navaratri Utsav as it is very much ethnic. They are small and can be used at any place as a decorative item. You can also reuse them by storing sindoor and keep them in your mandir. It also comes with a wire to hang and the dimension is – star: 2.75-inch High x 2.35 inch Dia and the price is only Rs. 290 per quantity.

Today with the growing technology, the use of online music has so much increased that the current generation does not know the different forms of music players. They even do not know much about CDs or tape recorders which were quite common just a few years back. Knowing about the gramophones are far away for many children or young adults. You can use the old fashioned gramophone for educational as well as decorative purpose in your mandap of Navaratri. They certainly teach us interesting facts about how sound works. The beautiful antique looking gramophone by pepperfry.com is made of multicolour wooden brass and metal and it is a handmade item. If you love to collect vintage then it is a must-buy for you regarding the decoration of your mandap. The dimension of the showpiece is 9-inch height, 4-inch width and 4-inch length, the net weight is 240 grams and the price is Rs. 719.

If you want to use something that will instantly brighten up the atmosphere of the mandap of Navaratri, the Golden Row String is the one for you. These strings have warm white, golden, and rose’s colour of the lights. You will get 16 LED rose string lights which you can use almost anywhere to decorate. They are made of high-quality materials and don’t get hot thus it is safe to use. The flowers are pretty sturdy and soft designs. The micro LEDs are super bright and create a 360-degree sparkling glow and the effect is much better than the incandescent lights. These strings are flexible and easy to store. The rose string lights are easy to put or hung on windows, doors, walls, grasses or trees the package includes 1 AC powered flower string light. The price is around Rs. 500 and they are perfect for wonderful Navratri decoration.

Enjoy the spiritual journey with the unique decorations, music and dance and celebrate one of the longest and widely celebrated festival Navaratri.