Durga puja

Durga Puja also referred to as Durgotsava or Sharadotsav is an annual Hindu festival in South Asia that celebrates worship of the Hindu goddess Durga. The festival represents the great victory of goddess Durga over the Buffalo demon named Mahishasura.

Meaning of Durga-

Durga means one who is difficult to approach. However since she is the mother of universe she is the personification of tender love, wealth, power, beauty and all virtues. The name Durga means inaccessible and she is the personification of the active side of the divine Shakti energy of Lord Shiva. In fact, she represents the furious powers of all the male gods, and is the ferocious protector of the righteous, and destroyer of the evil. Durga is usually portrayed as riding a lion, and carrying weapons in her many arms.

Durga Puja Mythology

ess before going to war with the demon king Ravana. This autumnal ritual was different from the conventional Durga Puja, which is usually celebrated in the springtime.

Durga Puja in Kolkata-

The Durga Puja dates is marked as a public holiday in West Bengal. The best and biggest Durga Puja celebrations take place in Kolkata. Durga Puja in Kolkata is marked by pandals that spring up in different parts of the city. Feasts and cultural festivals are organized, streets are decorated with lights and the entire city wears a festive look. People wear new clothes and tour pandals along with their families. They visit different pujas, worship the goddess, eat, shop and make merry. The festival of Durga Puja is spread over 10 days, the last four days being the most important. In Bengal, the last day is also known as Vijayadashami and marks the ritual immersion of idols of the goddess into water.

Implications of the Idol-

The complete image of Goddess Durga represent destruction of evil and protection of good and reflects the point that in order to become divine one should keep one's animal instincts under control. Thus, by worshiping Durga the idea of ruthless destruction is invoked to annihilate all the desires and unfold divinity.

Why is Navratri Celebrated Twice in A Year?

The festival of Navratri occurs twice every year. One is called Ashwina Navratri falling in the month of ashwina (September – October) and the other is named as Chaitra Navratri observed in the month of Chaitra (March – April) The Ashwin Navratri is celebrated as dusshera or Durga puja in the country…though the latter is known to the Hindus they do not celebrate it in a big way.

The Garba & Dandia Dance-

Wherein women dance gracefully in circles around a pot containing a lamp. Besides the Garba is the Dandia dance in which men and women participate in pairs with small, decorated bamboo sticks called dandias in their hands

Dusshera & Ramlila-

Dusshera, as the name suggests occurs on the tenth day following the Navratri. It is a festival to celebrate the triumph of good over evil, and marks the defeat and death of the demon king Ravana in the epic Ramayana. In northern India, especially in Varanasi, Dusshera overlaps with ‘Ramlila “or Rama Drama – traditional plays in which scenes from the epic saga of the mythical Rama-Ravana strife are enacted by professional troupes.