Durga Puja is just round the corner and last-minute shopping is going on everywhere. This is one time of the year for many who relax, and get in touch with their childhood.
THE AUTUMN season is upon us with clear blue skies and white fluffy cotton clouds floating above. Bengali people will recognise the smell in the air that comes with Durga Puja. Although the khash flower is missing in big cities like Delhi or Gurgaon but the red hues of the evening sky and the pleasant morning chill reminds us time and again of the sound of ‘Dhak’ that will soon resonate in the air with the festivities of Durga Puja.
Share
Dashera, Dashain or Durga Puja is knocking at our doors - is just a week away - and there is far more to this festival than new clothes and adda. We all are familiar with the fact that Durga Puja essentially is of 9 days. Starting from Mohalaya to Vijay Dashami. Shosti, Shoptomi, Asthami and Navami are the days when Maa Durga is worshipped by the people. However, not everyone is aware of the fact that Durga Puja’s importance increased at the time of the British Raj in India. Thanks to the Indian reformists of that period who identified Durga with power and India, that this Goddess became an important icon for the Indian independence movement. With that Durga Puja was established at such an immense scale from the 20th century.
Another important fact, which is not that widely known is that Durga Puja happens two times in a year, autumn and spring. As mythological stories have it, King Suratha used to worship the goddess Durga in spring and called that Basanti Puja (derived from the season Basanta). However, it was King Rama who worshipped Durga during autumn and that is what gained popularity.
It is believed that on Mahastami, the Goddess Durga comes to the earth in human form and small girls are worshipped on that day. This worshipping ceremony is called as 'Kumari Puja.' This is one of the most important rituals of the Durga Puja that is observed with sincerity. Each day, the ‘bhog’ or the food that Maa Durga has consist of sweets of various kinds with 'luchi' or better known as Puri.
The last day of Durga Puja is filled with sadness as the deity is believed to leave her mother’s place (earth being her mother’s abode) to go back to her heavenly home. On that day, people observe a fast and women of the house gives sweets, pan and takes her blessings one last time. They also play with sindur as it is customary in Bengali family to bid goodbye to a married women with vermillion on her forehead. Thus, the 9-days long festivities end with people visiting each other's homes, and the young touching the feet of the elders and having sweets.
