DURGA PUJA CELEBRATION

Durga Puja Festival Durga Puja festival marks the victory of Goddess Durga over the

evil buffalo demon Mahishasura. Thus, Durga Puja festival epitomises the victory of Good over Evil.

Durga Puja commemorates the annual visit of the Goddess with Her children to Her parents' home, leaving finally on the Dashami to be re-united with Shiva. This leaving ceremony is symbolised by the immersion of the sculptures on Dashami.

Durga Puja is also a festivity of Good (Ma Durga) winning over the evil (Mahishasur the demon). It is a worship of power of Good which always wins over the bad.

Durga Puja is widely celebrated in the Indian states of Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, Manipur, Odisha, Tripura and West Bengal, where it is a five-day annual holiday. In West Bengal, Assam ,Tripura, which has a majority of Bengali Hindus and Assamese Hindus, it is the biggest festival of the year.

Durga Puja Festival

Durga Puja also includes the worship of Shiva, who is Durga's consort (Durga is an aspect of Goddess Parvati), in addition to Lakshmi, Saraswati with Ganesha and Kartikeya, who are considered to be Durga's children. Worship of mother nature is done, through nine types of plant (called "Kala Bou"), including a plantain (banana) tree, which represent nine divine forms of Goddess Durga. Modern traditions have come to include the display of decorated pandals and artistically depicted sculptures (murti) of Durga, exchange of Vijaya greetings and publication of Puja Annuals.

Durga Puja Begins

Durga puja mood starts off with the Mahishasuramardini – a two-hour radio programme that has been popular with the community since the 1950s.While earlier it used to be conducted live, later a recorded version began to be broadcast. Bengalis traditionally wake up at 4 in the morning on Mahalaya day to listen to the enchanting voice of the late Birendra Krishna Bhadra and the late Pankaj Kumar Mullick on All India Radio as they recite hymns from the scriptures from the Devi Mahatmyam (Chandi Path).

Maha Saptami

KALA BAU

Saptami or the 7th day begins with a very important ritual – the bathing of Kolabou (Banana bride). The ceremonial bath at Ganges is held at the crack of dawn, the rituals accomplished

MAHA Saptami

Maha Ashtami

Durgashtami fasting is observed every month during Ashtami Tithi of Shukla Paksha. On this day devotees of Goddess Durga worship Her and observe day long fast.

Maha Ashtami

MAHA NAVAMI

Dussehra