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Navratri its significance and Ghatasthapana vidhi

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Lucknow : Navratri is among’st the most important Hindu festivals. This auspicious festival is celebrated with great zeal and devotion throughout the country.
 
The literal meaning of ‘Navratri’ is ‘nine auspicious nights’. Navratri is a pious festival celebrated in the honor of nine different forms of the Goddess Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati for nine continuous days.
 
The Goddess of Power is worshipped during these days in order to seek her blessings and protection from any unknown fear and possible threat.
 
The devotees ask for peace and prosperity from the Goddess. The Goddess of power has the supremacy over the creation, preservation and destruction of the universe.
 
Shardhi Navaratri is starting on September 21 this year. In the worship of Mother Durga, attention is given to the special place of worship.
 
Devotees have the time from 06.00 to 03 minutes to 08.22.2 for Ghatasthapana and pujan vidhi . The festival begins with Ghatasthapana also known as Kalashsthapana, a traditional ritual that symbolises the commencement of the occasion for nine-days.

The Ghatasthapana puja is done by using puja items that are considered holy and symbolic. A shallow pan like utensil made of clay is used as base.

Three layers of mud and Sapta Dhanya/Navadhanya seeds are then scattered in the pan. After that little bit of water is needed to be sprinkled so that seeds get enough moisture.

Then  Kalash is filled with Ganga jal or normal clean water. Then supari, a few currency coins, Akshat, which is made of raw rice mixed with turmeric powder and Durva grass are put in water.

After this, five leaves of the mango tree are put around the neck of the Kalash, which is then covered by placing a coconut.

Some devotees also put raw rice, coins, dried turmeric fruit and kumkum in the Kalash instead of filing it with water.

The Kalash is then put in the middle of the pan along with Navadhanya and mud. Soon after a Haldi-kumkum tika is also put on Kalash.

Devotees can also cover the Kalash with a  coloured cloth and put a  garland on it. After the Ghat is ready, it is put in a wooden platform in a place of worship.

After invoking Goddess Durga, Panchopachara Puja is performed.

Entertainment

Meghalaya Reserves Legalized Gambling and Sports Betting for Tourists

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PureWin Online Betting

The State Scores Extra High on Gaming-Friendly Industry Index

Meghalaya scored 92.85 out of 100 possible points in a Gaming Industry Index and proved to be India’s most gaming-friendly state following its recent profound legislation changes over the field allowing land-based and online gaming, including games of chance, under a licensing regime.

The index by the UK India Business Council (UKIBC) uses a scale of 0 to 100 to measure the level of legalisation on gambling and betting achieved by a state based on the scores over a set of seven different games – lottery, horse racing, betting on sports, poker, rummy, casino and fantasy sports

Starting from February last year, Meghalaya became the third state in India’s northeast to legalise gambling and betting after Sikkim and Nagaland. After consultations with the UKIBC, the state proceeded with the adoption of the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Act, 2021 and the nullification of the Meghalaya Prevention of Gambling Act, 1970. Subsequently in December, the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Rules, 2021 were notified and came into force.

All for the Tourists

The move to legalise and license various forms of offline and online betting and gambling in Meghalaya is aimed at boosting tourism and creating jobs, and altogether raising taxation revenues for the northeastern state. At the same time, the opportunities to bet and gamble legally will be reserved only for tourists and visitors.

“We came out with a Gaming Act and subsequently framed the Regulation of Gaming Rules, 2021. The government will accordingly issue licenses to operate games of skill and chance, both online and offline,” said James P. K. Sangma, Meghalaya State Law and Taxation Minister speaking in the capital city of Shillong. “But the legalized gambling and gaming will only be for tourists and not residents of Meghalaya,” he continued.

To be allowed to play, tourists and people visiting the state for work or business purposes will have to prove their non-resident status by presenting appropriate documents, in a process similar to a bank KYC (Know Your Customer) procedure.

Meghalaya Reaches Out to a Vast Market

With 140 millions of people in India estimated to bet regularly on sports, and a total of 370 million desi bettors around prominent sporting events, as per data from one of the latest reports by Esse N Videri, Meghalaya is set to reach out and take a piece of a vast market.

Estimates on the financial value of India’s sports betting market, combined across all types of offline channels and online sports and cricket predictions and betting platforms, speak about amounts between $130 and $150 billion (roughly between ₹9.7 and ₹11.5 lakh crore).

Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Delhi are shown to deliver the highest number of bettors and Meghalaya can count on substantial tourists flow from their betting circles. The sports betting communities of Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana are also not to be underestimated.

Among the sports, cricket is most popular, registering 68 percent of the total bet count analyzed by Esse N Videri. Football takes second position with 11 percent of the bets, followed by betting on FIFA at 7 percent and on eCricket at 5 percent. The last position in the Top 5 of popular sports for betting in India is taken by tennis with 3 percent of the bet count.

Local Citizens will Still have Their Teer Betting

Meghalaya residents will still be permitted to participate in teer betting over arrow-shooting results. Teer is a traditional method of gambling, somewhat similar to a lottery draw, and held under the rules of the Meghalaya Regulation of the Game of Arrow Shooting and the Sale of Teer Tickets Act, 2018.

Teer includes bettors wagering on the number of arrows that reach the target which is placed about 50 meters away from a team of 20 archers positioned in a semicircle.

The archers shoot volleys of arrows at the target for ten minutes, and players place their bets choosing a number between 0 and 99 trying to guess the last two digits of the number of arrows that successfully pierce the target.

If, for example, the number of hits is 256, anyone who has bet on 56 wins an amount eight times bigger than their wager.

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