“Pujor Bansi Bajje Dure,
Maa Aschen Bochor Ghure”
(A Happy and Welcoming Sound of Flute is being heard
from far as it is the time for Maa Durga [Devi Durga] to visit us after a year
round) - Anonymous (collected)
These above lines are the perfect words to describe the
feelings of all the people of West Bengal as it is time for the arrival of Devi
Durga after a year-long wait. The sound of Flute in the above lines actually
depicts the feeling at the heart of every Bengalis when they realize that the
time of their mother-goddess’s “Devi Durga” arrival has come. With her arrival
there will be celebration, fun and togetherness among friends and family. In
other words there will be a great homecoming for not only Devi Durga but also
of the families, relatives and friends who (stay away from each other in
different locations, both within the country and outside) gather to greet each
other and spend time with each other. This celebration, Durga Puja is thus, a six
days festival of gaiety and grandeur that takes place in every part of West
Bengal and is a worth watching experience for any individual visiting India.
The History
This religious event of Durga puja is one of the
biggest celebration of the Hundu’s that happens in the month of Ashvin (Ashwin)
– September - October. This Puja is celebrated to commemorate the goddess
Durga’s victory over her battle against the asura named Mahishasura. According
to the Hindu mythology, a demon was set out in pursue of war against the gods
& Goddess Durga ultimately slay him & protect the earth. On the day of Maha Saptami She
began her battle against the demon and finally slayed him on the day of Vijay Dashami. The
very first Durga Puja was said to have started by the royal family of Malda, Dinajpur around 16th-century.
Devi Durga – The Depiction
Since the festival is all about celebrating the victory of the goddess
over the demon named Mahishasura, the goddess is often viewed as “the
destroyer of evil’. She is also depicted as the Protector of the Righteous’ to
Hindu devotees. According to Swami Sivananda, a noted Hindu spiritual leader “Devi
Durga is synonymous with Shakti or the Divine Power that manifests, sustains
and transforms the universe as the one unifying Force of Existence…..”
The Goddess and the Celebration
The grandest annual festival of Hindus, Durga Puja,
is a multiple-day celebration. Actually the
festival celebration commences from the day of the Mahalaya, which indicates the
advent of the goddess. The Merriments and the worship then begin from Sasthi,
the sixth day and continue till Dashami (the 10th day). The main
celebration and amusement however is carried out from the days of Maha Saptami,
Maha Ashtami, Maha Navami & Vijay Dashami with
much splendor across the state of West Bengal. On the day of Dashami the idol
of goddess is immersed in water amid loud chants and drumbeats.
The goddess comes to visit earth from her heavenly
abode with her two sons (Lord Ganesha and Karthik) and daughters (Goddess Lakshmi and
Goddess Saraswati). There is also another member; kola bou or banana
wife, who is known to be the wife of Lord Ganesha. Though named Riddhi-Siddhi,
she is depicted as a banana stem, wrapped in clothes, and thus the name “kola bou or banana wife”
The image of the idol comes as “astride a lion,
attacking the demon king Mahishasura with 10 arms holding various deadly
weapons, and with one son one daughter on the right and one son one daughter on
the left. You will find Lord Shiva at the rear.
What to See?
Making of the Idol – Before watching the embellished idols there is nothing more interesting to watch how these idols are made and the best place to see these idols being made in Kolkata is “Kumartuli”. Very popular destination among the shutterbugs, Kumartuli can be a good pre-puja tour. While strolling through the narrow streets of Kumartuli, you will get to see lots of half made idols, clay & those hundreds of artists, making those idols.
Embellished Idols in Pandal – The main attraction of this festival, apart from the puja ceremony is the showcase of theme based Pandals (elaborately decorated bamboo structures and galleries) and idols of Devi Durga, in different parts of the state. It is assumed that there are more than 4 thousand Durga pandals are set up in different parts of Bengal. These Puja presentations are known as “Baroyari Puja” which has a bit commercial touch to it. The concept is that of a collaborative puja organized by different committees. The word “Baroyari” has a meaning; “Baro” means “twelve” and “Yari” means “friends”. The very first Baroyari puja was theorized in Hooghly around in the year 1790.
The Carnival – The recent addition to this extravaganza is the introduction of “the Durga Puja Carnival”. Introduced by the West Bengal Government, in the year 2016, the Durga Puja Carnival is an event where award-winning community pujas parades down and showcase their idols of Goddess Durga of the year’s Durga Puja Festivals, in a flamboyant show of fun and splendor. The event also present sights of Bengal's rich & prosperous art & sculptures and cultural traditions. According to news sources this event has got the attention of the UNESCO, who was planning to take part in the same in 2020. They even had thoughts of listing the event in its ‘List of Intangible Heritage’ 2020. However due to the outbreak of Covid – 19 pandemic there arises an uncertainty of the event
Durga Puja 2020
One of the largest public celebrations in the world, a unique of its
kind,
Durga Puja in Bengal is all about celebrating the victory of Good over the evil
amidst fun and joviality. In the year 2020 this celebration is about to fall in
the month of October from 22nd to 26th.This year, with COVID-19 pandemic causing its
devastation across the globe, without yet any calculable termination, many
celebrations saw cancellations deferrals and postponements; though Durga Puja
in Bengal might get a chance but the organizers will have to curb their celebratory
arrangements to a great extent and greet the Goddess Durga in the simplest way
possible; probably without the participation of visitors from different parts
of India and abroad.
We hope that by next year we could win over the disease and get
back the glamour, dazzle
and colorful avatar that describe the celebration of Durga or Durgautsav in
Bengal. Be there then and witness one of the beautiful religious Ceremonies in
India.
Stay Safe, Stay Protected!
Picture Credit: Google Image Search