Hindus honor the Mother Goddess

Hindus are in the midst of fall festivals during September and October. According to About.com Guide, Subhamoy Das, "Every year during the lunar month of Ashwin or Kartik (September-October), Hindus observe ten days of ceremonies, rituals, fasts and feasts in honor of the supreme mother goddess. It begins with the fast of "Navaratri", and ends with the festivities of "Dusshera" and "Vijayadashami."

Hindu devotees hold pots of holy smoke while dancing as a part of religious rituals for offering prayers during Hindu festival Durga Puja in Mumbai, India,Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2011. The five-day festival commemorates the slaying of a demon king by lion-riding, 10-armed goddess Durga, marking the triumph of good over evil. AP / Rajanish Kakade 

 

Nepalese devotees lead a buffalo for sacrifice during the ninth day of the Dashain festival at Bhaktapur, outskirts of Katmandu, Nepal, Wednesday, Oct. 5 2011. The festival commemorates the slaying of a demon king by Hindu goddess Durga, marking the victory of good over evil. AP / Niranjan Shrestha

Nepalese devotees splash river water on a buffalo before sacrificing it during the ninth day of the Dashain festival at Bhaktapur, outskirts of Katmandu, Nepal, Wednesday, Oct. 5 2011. The festival commemorates the slaying of a demon king by Hindu goddess Durga, marking the victory of good over evil. AP / Niranjan Shrestha

Nepalese Hindu devotees stand in a queue outside a temple to offer prayers during Dashain festival in Katmandu, Nepal, Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2011. AP / Binod Joshi

Indian artists dressed as Hindu God Rama, left, and his brother Lakshman sit in a tableau during a Dussehra festival procession in Allahabad, India, Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2011. AP / Rajesh Kumar Singh

Indian artists Kandha Panday, right, and Shiva Sharma dressed as Hindu god Rama and his brother Lakshman have paint applied to their faces ahead of a religious procession during the Dussehra festival in Allahabad, India, Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2011. The Dussehra festival commemorates the victory of Rama over Ravana, an evil ruler who had abducted Rama's wife, Sita Devi. Rama killed Ravana to free Sita. The burning of effigies of Ravana, signifying the victory of good over evil, brings the festivities to a close. AP / Rajesh Kumar Singh

Indian artists dressed as Hindu God Rama, left, and his brother Lakshman ride inside a tableau during a Dussehra festival procession in Allahabad, India, Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2011. AP / Rajesh Kumar Singh

Members of an Indian band play religious tunes during Dussehra festival procession in Amritsar, India, Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2011. Dussehra festival commemorates the victory of Rama over Ravana, an evil ruler who had abducted Rama's wife, Sita. The festival culminates on Oct. 6 with the burning of effigies of Ravana, signifying the victory of good over evil. AP / Altaf Qadri

Indian devotees holds earthen lamps and take part in Maha Aarti ritual at Hindu deity Umiya Mata temple on the eighth night of Navratri or nine nights festival in Surat, Gujarat state, India, Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2011. Every year thousands of devotees participate in this ritual. AP / Ajit Solanki

Children look at a buffalo decorated with a garland awaiting to be sacrificed at a temple of Hindu goddess Durga at Rani village on the outskirts of Gauhati, India, Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2011. Every year, hundreds of devotees arrive with buffalos, goats, pigeons and ducks to sacrifice them during the Durga Puja festival. AP / Anupam Nath

A Hindu woman holds a pot of holy smoke while dancing as a part of religious rituals for offering prayers during Hindu festival Durga Puja in Mumbai, India,Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2011. AP / Rajanish Kakade

A priest puts a garland on a Kumari, a virgin girl worshipped as an incarnation of Goddess Durga, during Durga Puja festival in Belur, about 25 kilometers (16 miles) north of Kolkata, India, Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2011. AP / Bikas Das

Devotees perform the Garba, a traditional dance of the western Indian state of Gujarat, at the Umiya Mata temple on the eighth night of Navratri, or festival of nine nights, in Surat, about 270 kilometers (169 miles) south of Ahmadabad, India on Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2011. Umiya Mata is the deity worshipped by Kadwa Patidar Hindus spread across the world. AP / Ajit Solanki

An idol of goddess Durga is reflected in a puddle created by rain water at a street during Durga Puja festival in Hyderabad, India, Monday, Oct. 3, 2011. AP / Mahesh Kumar A

A Bangladeshi devotee prays before an idol of Hindu goddess Durga during Durga Puja, or Durga Prayers at Dhakeshwari tample in Dhaka Bangladesh, Monday, Oct. 3, 2011. AP / Pavel Rahman

Hindu devotees offer prayers before an idol of goddess Durga, center, during the Durga Puja festival in Gauhati, India, Monday, Oct. 3, 2011. AP / Anupam Nath

A Hindu priest chants hymns from a sacred book as another pours water on a banana leaf as part of a ritual in Kolkata, India, Monday, Oct. 3, 2011. AP / Bikas Das

A Hindu woman performs rituals on the bank of the river Ganges in Kolkata, India, Monday, Oct. 3, 2011. AP / Bikas Das

Indian vendors sell flower garlands at a wholesale market on the second day of Hindu festival Durga Puja in Kolkata, India, Monday, Oct. 3, 2011. AP / Bikas Das

A Nepalese man carries ducks in a bag at a cattle market on the seventh day of Nepal's biggest annual festival Dasain, in Katmandu, Nepal, Monday, Oct. 3, 2011. AP / Niranjan Shrestha

Nepalese priests carry Phulpati, an assortment of flowers, leaves and fruits of different plants considered auspicious on the seventh day of Nepal's biggest annual festival Dasain, in Katmandu, Nepal, Monday, Oct. 3, 2011. Dasain festival commemorates the slaying of a demon king by Hindu goddess Durga, marking the victory of good over evil. Animals are sacrificed at Hindu Temples in Nepal during this festival. AP / Niranjan Shrestha

Nepalese priests carry Phulpati, an assortment of flowers, leaves and fruits of different plants considered auspicious on the seventh day of Nepal's biggest annual festival Dasain, in Katmandu, Nepal, Monday, Oct. 3, 2011. AP / Niranjan Shrestha

A Hindu priest worships goddess Durga on the first day of the Durga Puja festival in Kolkata, India, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2011. AP / Bikas Das

Indian sand artist Sudarshan Pattnaik creates a sculpture of Hindu Goddess Durga ahead of Durga Puja festival in Siliguri, India, Saturday, Oct. 1, 2011. AP /

People carry an idol of Hindu goddess Durga to its worship venue in Kolkata, India, Saturday, Oct. 1, 2011. AP / Bikas Das

An Indian artist gives finishing touches to an idol of Hindu Goddess Durga, ahead of Durga puja festival in Allahabad, India, Friday, Sept. 30, 2011. AP / Rajesh Kumar Singh

An artist puts final touches to an idol of Hindu Goddess Durga in New Delhi, India, Thursday, Sept. 29, 2011. AP / Saurabh Das

A Hindu devotee offers prayers to the sun after taking holy dips in the River Ganges on the first day of Navratri festival, in Allahabad, India, Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2011. Navaratri, the festival of nine nights, is devoted to the worship of Durga, the Hindu goddess of valor, Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, and Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge. AP / Rajesh Kumar Singh

An Indian artist adds finishing touches to a demon face as he works on idols of Hindu goddess Durga at a workshop in Allahabad, India, Sunday, Sept. 25, 2011. AP / Rajesh Kumar Singh

Indian men wearing traditional attire perform Garba, a traditional dance of western Indian state of Gujarat, as part of preparation for Navratri festival in Ahmadabad, India, Friday, Sept. 23, 2011. Navaratri, the festival of nights, lasts for nine days, with three days each devoted to the worship of Durga, the goddess of valor, Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, and Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge. Feasting and fasting takes over normal life for millions of Hindus, and many people join in religious dances in the evenings. AP / Ajit Solanki