In Hinduism, Durga is a form of Parvati or Devi, the supreme goddess. She is depicted as a woman riding a lion with multiple hands carrying weapons and assuming mudras, or symbolic hand gestures. This signifies life. This form of the Goddess is the embodiment of feminine and creative energy (Shakti). She is married to Lord Shiva. As an avatar, she took the form of Annapurna.

According to the prevalent version of the myth, the form of Durga was created as an warrior goddess to fight the demon Mahisashur who had unleashed a realm of terror on earth, heaven and the nether worlds. Mahisashur emerged out of the form of a water buffalo ("mahisa" means buffalo). He could not be defeated by any of the gods due to certain boons he had received from Brahma. Eventually, each god armed Durga with a suitable quality and a weapon, so that with their combined effect she was able to defeat the demon. The word Shakti, meaning strength, reflects the warrior aspect of the goddess. In another form, she is also Karunamayi, or "one full of kindness."

In the evolution of Hindu ritual, Durga means different things in different regions of South Asia. While venerated everywhere, the culture of Durga worship is strongest in Bengal. In many parts of India, this period of nine days is celebrated as Navaratri or Dashain(nepal) culminating in Dussehra or Vijaya Dashami (both Dussehra and Dashami refer to ten, i.e. the tenth day of the waxing moon).

The Worship of Durga (Durga Puja/ Pujo)

The worship of Durga in the autumn month of Sharat is the major festival in Bengal. Puja means worship, and Durga's Puja is celebrated from the sixth to tenth day of the waxing moon in the month of Ashvin, which is the sixth month in the Bengali calendar. Occasionally however, due to a misalignment between the lunar cycle and the solar months, it may also be held in the following month, Kartik. In the Gregorian calendar, this corresponds to the months of September/October.

In the Ramayana, Rama invokes the goddess Durga in his battle against Ravana. Although she was traditionally worshipped in the Spring, due to contingencies of battle, Rama had to invoke her in the autumn. Today it is this Rama's date for the puja that has gained ascendancy, although the spring Puja, known as Basanti puja, is also present in the Hindu almanac. Since the season of the puja is sharat (autumn), it is also known as Sharadiya.

This five-day period is viewed as the coming of the married daughter, Durga, from the Himalayas where she lives with her husband, to her parental home on earth. In the tradition of the woman visiting her parent's house, she is accompanied by her four children: Ganesh, Kartik, Lakshmi, and Saraswati. In preparation for her coming, the entire population receives new clothes and other gifts, which are worn on the evenings when the family goes out to the nearest pujas. Although it is a Hindu festival, many religious groups participate in the ritual.

Durga Puja in Bengal

A considerable literature exists around Durga in the Bengali Language and its early forms, including Durgotsavnirnaya (11th century), Durgabhaktitarangini by Vidyapati (14th century), etc. Durga Puja was popular in Bengal in the medieval period, and records exist of it being held in the courts of Rajshahi (16th century) and Nadia (18th century). It was during the 18th century, however, that the worship of Durga became popular among the landed elite of Bengal. Today, the culture of Durga Puja has shifted from the princely houses to Sarvojonin (literally, "involving all") forms.

During the week of Durga Puja, in the entire state of West Bengal as well as in large enclaves of Bengalis everywhere, life comes to a complete standstill. In play grounds, traffic circles, ponds -- wherever space may be available -- elaborates structures called pandals are set up, many with nearly a year's worth of planning behind them. The word pandal means a temporary structure, made of bamboo and cloth, which used to be the venue of the worship (pujaa) of the goddess. Today's pandals however are more like art galleries than tents. Pandals may be made in the model of some famous building or structure; the Vatican, famous mosques, Taj Mahal, the Parthenon -- as well as natural features like caves in the Himalayas - all are grist for the pandal mill.

Somewhere inside these complex edifices is a stage on which durga reigns, standing on her lion mount, wielding ten weapons with her ten hands. This is the religious epicenter of the festivities, and the crowds gather to offer flower worship on the mornings of the main days. Ritualized drummers, carrying large leather-strung show off their skills during ritual dance worships called arati.

But today's Puja goes far beyond religion. In fact, visiting the pandals recent years, one can only say that Durgapuja the largest outdoor art festival on earth. In the '90s, a preponderance of architectural models came up on the pandal exteriors, but today the art motif extends to elaborate interiors, executed by trained artists, with consistent stylistic elements, carefully executed and bearing the name of the artist.

In Calcutta alone more than a thousand art galleries (a.k.a. pandals) are set up, all clamouring for the fickle attention of the populace.

The sculpture of the idol itself has evolved. The worship always depicts Durga with her four children, and occasionally two attendant deities and some banana-tree figures. In the olden days, all five idols would be depicted in a single frame, traditionally called pata. Since the 1980's however, the trend is to depict each idol separately.

At the end of the six days, the idol is taken in a procession amid loud chants and drumbeats to the river or other water body, and it is cast in the waters symbolic of the departure of the deity to her home with her husband in the Himalayas. After this, in a tradition called Vijaya Dashami (Dashami is literally the "tenth" day, and Vijay means victory), families visit each other and sweetmeats are offered to visitors.

Octavio Paz has commented on the role of the fiesta in Mexico as a collective release for the repression in the Mexican soul. No doubt the Durga Puja serves the same function in Bengal, as does the Diwali in North India and Pongal in the South.

After the exuberance of the Puja days, the pandals are dismantled in showers of canvas and bamboo. A palpable gloom descends on the Bengali psyche. However, in the club rooms and corner-teashops, plans are already brewing over cigarette smoke, on how to put up a spectacle that will top the next puja down the road.

Durga Puja can bring much joy to during its five days. Hindu Bengalis will try to come out to the streets with all their new clothes, so that they can enlighten others including Ma Durga.

External Links

Navratri Festival - Goddess Durga Festival of 9 nights