Navratri Mandir Decoration Ideas: Everything You Need to Know and How to Decorate Your Temple for the Festival of Nine Nights (2019)

Navratri, as the name suggests, is a nine-night long festival. It celebrates the various forms of the Devi (the Goddess) like Durga, Kali, Saraswati and others. It celebrates the strength, wisdom, devotion and other qualities of the Goddess; devotees invoke the Devi who is considered to be the supreme energy in the universe. The festival is celebrated twice a year, once during the months of March or April and once during the months of September or October. The festival is also a celebration of the change in seasons. The two Navratris fall during a time when the season changes and devotees celebrate these nine nights to welcome this change in nature. Some stories in Hindu mythology also suggest that Lord Rama celebrated Navratri and prayed to the Goddess before leaving for Lanka and thereafter returned victorious from there. Thus, Navratri is nine nights of devotion, celebration and invoking the good in one's own self.

The beauty of Hinduism lies in the fact that there is complete freedom for everyone to choose the way in which you would like to celebrate a festival. There are no set rules or no defined ways in which you can celebrate Navratri. There are several ways like indulging in Garba dance, fasting, offering daily prayers or even keeping silent and to your own self. You can choose to celebrate the festival in your own way. However, just to give you some ideas, we have compiled three popular ways in which people across India celebrate the nine nights of the Devi.

Decorating the temple is considered auspicious for all festivals and poojas. Apart from the significance it holds, it also creates a beautiful and serene atmosphere. You can decorate the temple in any which way you want. You can make use of flowers, garlands, lamps, lights, cloth pieces, hangings and much more. If you want to try something more traditional then you can stick to the colours of the Goddess which are mostly red, orange and yellow. Also, you can place shringar offerings to the goddess like sindoor, kajal, roli, bangles, mirror and more; these can also be used as decoration pieces.

An Akhand Diya is the practice of lighting a traditional diya (an earthen lamp) with pure cow’s ghee instead of oil consecutively for a specified period of time. During Navratri it is considered auspicious to light an Akhand Diya for 9 nights which means that the diya is alight all through the nine nights and nine days. It is said to cleanse the air and create a spiritual atmosphere. You, however, need to be very vigilant in maintaining the diya; you will need to check every now and then to refill the ghee as and when it is about to finish. Also, be careful about where you are placing the diya as there should be no window or fan close by or the wind can blow it out. If you are concerned about the winds, you can also buy a cover for the diya; these are normally made out of steel or copper and are in a netted design and help keep the diya alight and safe from winds.

Fasting is considered to be a crucial part of several poojas and festivals; however, fasting during Navratri is an integral part of the festival. Many people fast for all 9 days of the festival. Some people who are unable to fast for so long may also choose to fast for the first and last day of the festival. Fasting during these days is not only an offering to the Devi but also an opportunity to cleanse your body, both physically and mentally. It is advised that you try to stay away from anger, hatred and other negative emotions during these days and try to cleanse yourself mentally. You will also find that many people keep silent during these days and practice a Maun Vrat which is vow of silence for a certain period of time. They try to explore and rebuild their inner self during these 9 days.

If you have decided to decorate the temple during Navratri then you will require a lot of decoration items to get the perfect look that are you envisioning. While you can get fresh flowers and garlands every day, there are some other things that you can buy online as well and make use of. These are mostly items like lights, decorative figurines, tapestry, diyas and more, that can also be used for festivals after Navratri like Diwali. We have compiled a list of the top-10 items that you can buy online to decorate your temple. Have a look –

This is a string of LED lights in the shape of diyas. The light bulb is made to seem like the flame of a diya. There are 22 diyas in one string. They are all made of plastic and are light weight and easy to use for decoration. Each string is worth INR 295 and you can buy it on Amazon. The best part is that this is something you can reuse during Diwali as well. The same seller is also offering different styles in string lights like flowers, fruits and more. If you are looking for something different to decorate the temple with, instead of the usual lights and bulbs, then this is all you need.

If you regularly decorate for festivals or keep poojas at home then you would find this piece of festival decoration to be a nice addition to your collection. This certainly is an expensive piece, however, for something that is being used every now and then, it is quite reasonable. It is made out of biodegradable paperboard and gives a royal feel to the temple decoration. It is also heat resistant and very easy to store as you can fold it and keep it away. It is available on Seniority for INR 2,569. You can place this at the back of the temple and place the idol of the Goddess in its centre. You can also decorate it with flowers and lights to give it a unique touch.

If you are going for a traditional decoration theme then this set of two wall hangings or "Toran" is something you would like to add. You can get a set of two artistically designed, typically Rajasthani style Toran from Flipkart for INR 369. It is made of wood, fabric and artificial pearls. They are bright, multi-coloured hangings each having 5 animal shapes and metal bells. Elephants, camels and birds are featured on the hangings. After Navratri, you can also use this as a regular decor piece in your bedroom or living room for an eccentric look.

This is a set of small, tealight LED candles that are available on Amazon for INR 299. The candles are basically shaped out of plastic and the LED bulb is on top in the shape of a candle flame. They are powered through small, round button batteries placed at the bottom of each candle. This is a safe and beautiful decoration item that can also be reused on different occasions and festivals, especially, Diwali. You can use this to light up the place around the temple or you can also place two in each room in the house to celebrate the nine nights of the Devi.

If you are looking for an artsy diya or lamp to place in the temple during Navratri then this 3-layer electric gold lamp from Flipkart would be a nice addition to your decorations. It is made in golden shade and gives a very natural, real kind of look. It has three different layers and each layer is shaped like a flower and has different electric bulbs to resemble the wicks of diyas. The designing on the lamp is also very beautiful with a ‘OM’ on top of it. You can buy two of these and place them on either side of the Devi or the temple. One piece comes for INR 300.

Available on Snapdeal for INR 1,200, this is an exquisite hanging diya crafted out of pure brass metal. It is has been aesthetically designed with a peacock featured on top and nine bells and nine diya spaces. You can use it in the temple by placing diya wicks in the holders or later you can also use it as a home decor piece by simply hanging it in your house and listening to the chimes of the bells. You can also find other available designs with the same buyer featuring swastika and other symbols instead of a peacock.

If you are planning to decorate the temple for all nine days of the Navratri festival then you will require fresh flowers every day. However, if getting fresh flowers every day is not something that you can do then you can also opt for artificial marigold flower garlands or rose flower garlands. These are readily available nowadays and give a very beautiful look. This set of 5 marigold garlands on Amazon is available for INR 249 and has flowers in alternate colours of orange and yellow. They can be used to decorate the temple or even be used as a Toran outside the house door.

A pooja thali is something which you would be requiring on several festivals and occasions throughout the year including the upcoming Diwali and Bhai Dooj festivals just after Navratri. ShopClues is selling a beautifully decorated pooja thali for INR 850. It has a basic shade of red and then has intricate designing done on it with mirrors, artificial beads and pearls. It also has a big swastika in the centre which gives it a very different look. You can place your pooja diya, kumkum, roli, chawal and other items on it.

If you are looking for elegant tealight stands and not the regular plastic ones, then this set of 2 handcrafted, peacock tealight stands from My Pooja Box will steal your heart. They are made from iron with a gold matt finish. They have a beautiful net style lattice work done on top and a firm base stand. A small tealight diya space is created in the centre to place your diya. This set of two is available for INR 695, and apart from temple decoration, this can also be used as a party decor item or to light up your living room.

My Pooja Box is also offering beautiful metal figurines of Gods and Goddesses. This metal figurine of Mata Rani is very beautiful in particular. It has Maa Durga featured on a lion and has been painted in shades of red, golden and blue hues. It also has the word ‘Maa’ written in Hindi text beside it. The design is further enhanced by studded stones. You can place this in the temple or even hang it on the wall in your home or office. It is available for INR 650 only. If you are looking for a figurine of some other God or Goddess then you can find those as well. They have several designs featuring Ganesha, Krishna, Saraswati and more.