Goddess Durga Festivities

It's that time of year and festivities for the Goddess Durga are in full swing in India and elsewhere around the world wherever there are Hindus. 

Durga represents the raw, creative force of the Universe; "She" can be benign and benevolent, "She" can be fearsome and destructive.  "She" is often depicted riding a feline -- either a lion or a tiger.  In this, "She" shares similarities with the Goddess Hat-hert (Hathor) of ancient Egypt and the ancient Chinese Goddess Xi Wangmu (Hsi Wang Mu), both of whom, in their earliest forms (before they were "tamed" down over the centuries) displayed feline characteristics and could, in the blink of an eye, turn into fear-inspiring destructive creatures of death.  Hat-hert was the roaring lioness; Xiwangmu had tiger's teeth and claws and leopard's tail. 










From Washington Bangla Radio
The Old Sobhabazar Rajbari Puja | WBRi Kolkata Bonedi Barir Pujo Report
Sun, 10/02/2011 - 09:57   

Calcutta, October 1, 2011 (Washington Bangla Radio) Kolkata embraces few of the best known traditional house hold pujas that can be found in the entire nation. One such puja is of course the Sobha Bazar Rajbari Durga Puja. The puja is celebrated in two houses adjacent to each other.
"Baghbari" owned by Gopimohon Deb was constructed after the original residence was made by Raja Nabakrishna Deb.

Raja Nabakrishna Deb was the famous exponent of Hinduism during the Brahmo Samaj Movement by Raja Rammohon Roy. It was in the year 1757 after the famous Battle of Plassey that this Durga Puja was organized.

Like most of the families this one too has their own sets of rituals. The arrangement for the puja starts from the day of 'Rath Yatra' itself when the the wooden frame work of the idol is worshipped. The Durga idol is made inside the household and the ritual of bodhon starts 15 days before Nabami. For the Deb family, Goddess Durga is nothing else than the daughter of their household idol, Gopinath Jeu.

The devi is placed in 'Ek Chala', decked with silver ornaments. The silver foils which were imported from Germany came through post meaning 'dak' and thus the decoration came to be known as 'Daker Saaj'.

The idol of Sobha Bazar Raj Bari is adorned with gold ornaments like nose ring and 'bindi' which are the only metal used to decorate the goddess. Considered to be one of the oldest pujas in the city now, it is said that canons used to be fired in the initial days of the festival as a part of the celebration. But now, gun shots have replaced them.

Debs' perform a ritual called "Kanakanjali". Gold coins dating to the time of Akbar's reign were thrown at married women with children.

The immersion ceremony is very special and dazzling.

The ritual called 'Tarpan' is performed to let the dead ancestors know of the Puja is performed in the Dashami morning.

The Bisarjan ceremony (Immersion) is a spectacular affair.Women dress in red and white saris while men wear dhotis carrying seven golden umbrellas.
A musical band play along and two Nilkantha birds are released. Around 60 men lend their shoulders to the goddess on her way to the river. Previously the band was hired from Scotch Highlander (Gorar Baddi). The myth behind the release of Nilkantha Birds is quite interesting.

The first Nilkantha is set free to go to Kailash to convey the message of Devi Durga's departure to Shiva.

The other Nilkantha bird is set free in the middle of the river to ensure the message has been conveyed in case the first one fails. After the goddess is immersed in the water then the holy water collected which is called "Gana shanti jal" and it is sprinkled on everyone present.

So get ready for the next five days of fun and merry-making and amid visiting the famous club pujas of the city one should also squeeze some time and taste the cultural past of Kolkata by visiting one of these few ancient households that still worships the goddess of shakti with equal pomp and glory.


This article provides some explanation regarding the different aspects of the Goddess Durga and the rituals involving her celebration (puja):

From The Times of India
Nine leaves make goddess-devotee bond stronger
Shailvee ShardaShailvee Sharda, TNN | Oct 2, 2011, 04.16AM IST

LUCKNOW: Before her formal incarnation in the clay idol, avtaars of Goddess Durga is invoked in nine different leaves. Turmeric for instance denotes Durga, while the paddy plant represents Lakshmi. Kachu (arbi) and Mankachu represent Kalika and Chamnuda respectively, while Jayanti embodies Kartiki, the way Bel bears Shivani. The pious banana leaves are seen as Brahmacharini and red pomegranate leaves remind of Raktadantika.

The leaves come together in a ritual is called Navapatrika. But, the customs of Navapatrika presents a deeper meaning and philosophy. "It not only strengthen the bond between humans and nature, they inspire us to get closer to mother Earth," said Swami Mukhtinathananda of Shri Ramakrishna Math.

"Instead of a clay idol, the goddess becomes an embodiment of these nine leaves to bless her devotees" he added. All these leaves have a medicinal value too. On Shashthi, devotees and priests wake up the goddess in a ritual called Akalbodhan. She is invited through the ritual of Aamantran and provided an Adhibaas or a place to stay with her children through the puja. Usually, the place where goddess stays is a Bel tree. In the evening or early hours of Saptami, the goddess is prepared for a formal incarnation in the clay idol. As a part of the same, she is invoked in the nine leaves, draped in a sari and taken to a pond or river for bathing. Nowadays, water from different sources is gathered near the puja pandal for this purpose. Though the tradition has a universal nature in Bengal, some pandals in the city follow it ritualistically. Ramakrishna Mission's puja is an example.

Director of a national museum, Rajesh Purohit, had studied the ritual anthropologically and found its deep relationship with Chandipaath. "Verses in the Mahatmya chapter of Chandipaath have specific references on the type of leaf associated with a specific deity. I feel amazed realising how aware our ancestors were," Purohit told TOI.

Chandipaath is an important ritual that heralds Durga puja. Commonly its chanting is associated with victory of good over evil. S Bhaduri, of a puja committee in Indiranagar, agrees with Purohit. "The principle that god resides in every single particle on this earth turns true with Navapatrika," he said. Piyali Guha found the element of women empowerment in the ritual. "Strength is not a property of the physically strong. It is a result of will. Even leaves can become a Durga when they join hands," she said.

Navrati Celebration at Assam’s Kamakhya Temple for Kumari Puja

From Thaindian News Devotees throng Assam’s Kamakhya temple for Kumari Puja September 24th, 2009 - 11:40 pm ICT by ANI Guwahati, Sep 24 (ANI): Hundreds of devotees thronged revered Kamakhya temple in Assam state on Thursday for Kumari Puja organised during Hindu festival of Navratri, in which young girls are worshipped. Kumari Puja is held at the Kamakhya temple every year prior to Durga Puja celebrations that began on Saturday and end on “Navami” (the ninth day of the Navratri festival). The tradition is as old as that of the origin of Kamakhya temple. It is believed that the Goddess, although omnipresent, surely exists in the virgin. Reverence to female children as goddesses is an age-old custom of India. The Kamakhya temple situated in Guwahati, main city of Assam, on the banks of river Brahmaputra, is dedicated to goddess Kamakhya, consort of Shiva, Hindu God of destruction. It is believed that at Kamakhya, the Goddess appears in the form of a virgin. So some of the pilgrims worship the living virgin as Goddess in this temple. Worship of a living woman as Goddess is of purely Tantric origin. It is stated that virgin worship is nothing but Shakti worship. The virgin worship is performed along with Durga, Kali and other Mahavidyas. The salutation mantra of virgin worship is the same as vidya’s salutation mantra. Sometimes, it is also seen that the virgin is fed and clad and saluted without any mantra. The tantrics believe that the virgin is the Goddess incarnate. “Her name is not Kamakhya but Kamakshi. People come here as their wishes are fulfilled here and that’s why we have come all the way from Bihar,” said Chandreshwar Pathak, a devotee from eastern Bihar. (ANI)

It's That Time of Year Again: Durga Puja Returns

A look at the Goddess and her Festival in the United States, from the NorthIndyStar.com: For weekend, school hosts Hindu goddess By Chris Sikich Posted: October 13, 2008 Northview Middle School took on a new look this weekend for a Bengali religious event called the Durga Puja. Hundreds of people from Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana flocked to Indianapolis on Saturday and Sunday for the 24th annual Tri State Durga Puja and erected a shrine in the Far-Northside school's gym. The holiday honors the goddess Durga. Hindus believe she comes to Earth once a year to destroy evil and bring happiness to families. Bengal is a state in northeast India, and the Bengali people practice a form of Hinduism that celebrates Durga Puja as its major holiday. Dipan Basu, 60, president of the Bengali Association of Indiana, compares Durga Puja to Christmas in its importance. The Indianapolis event drew 700 adults and 200 children. A statue of the 10-armed goddess showed her riding a lion and defeating a blue demon. Statues of her four children flanked her. The devotees left their everyday clothes behind and donned traditional colorful robes and shirts for the celebration. They took off their shoes, knelt and prayed, and placed offerings of fruit, flowers and sweets on the floor before the statues. They also listened to and watched musical and dance performances in the school's auditorium and enjoyed traditional Indian food. Basu, a Rolls-Royce Corp. engineer from Carmel, said the event also serves social and cultural purposes, giving participants who don't see one another often the chance to connect. Rabindra Mukerjea, 63, West Lafayette, director of strategic planning and assessment at Purdue University, sang philosophical and religious songs Saturday night. "This is a wonderful gathering of people, not only for religious traditions but also for fellowship," Mukerjea said. Saturday's festivities lasted past midnight, but many people were back at the school in time for the closing religious ceremony at 10 a.m. Sunday. In Bengal, the holiday lasts 10 days; families observe five of the days privately and five with the community. Here, the five public days of celebration are condensed into a weekend, said Sudip Das, 49, Carmel. The Tri State Durga Puja comes to Indiana every four years after making a stop in Kentucky and two in Ohio. Related Information: Durga: The most powerful deity The Bengali believe the goddess Durga visits Earth once a year to destroy all evil and bring happiness to families. She's the most powerful god or goddess in Bengali tradition and is depicted with 10 arms. During Durga Puja, the Bengali pray and offer the goddess and her four children gifts such as fruit, flowers and sweets. After she defeats evil, she leaves Earth and returns to her husband, the god Shiva. Source: Dipan Basu, president, Bengali Association of Indiana

Durga Puja Celebration Ends for Another Year

All across India people gathered to conclude the celebrations for the Goddes Durga and her many manifestations. Orissa bids adieu to Goddess Durga KalingaTimes Correspondent Cuttack/Bhubaneswar, Oct 22: Durga Puja came to an end in Orissa with the burning of the effigies of Ravana on Sunday evening. But the curtains on the annual puja celebrations finally came down on Monday with lakhs of devotees bidding a tearful farewell to Goddess Durga with immersion of the idols of the goddess in various rivers across the State. The idols of the goddess were immersed in different rivers as thousands of devotees took Goddess Durga in processions to perform the immersion ritual. In the Millennium city of Cuttack, around 50 idols were immersed in Kathjodi river by late on Monday evening. Most of the idols that were worshipped in the city were likely to be immersed in the night. Some idols would be immersed on Tuesday. As the puja pandals wore a deserted look during the day, all roads led to the immersion site by afternoon. Lakhs of people were out of their homes to witness the colourful processions in which the idols from different pandals were carried for immersion. In keeping with the tradition, the idols were first brought to Choudhury Bazaar for a congregation called `Melan'. Then they were taken in procession one after the other to the immersion place at Devi Gada. Heavy security arrangements were made on the procession routes to ensure smooth conduct of the immersion ceremony. In Bhubaneswar, the idols were taken in processions on different roads for immersion in Kuakhai and Daya rivers. Traffic came to a halt as the processions passed through several main roads amid tight security arrangements. Thousands of people stood on both sides of the procession routes to bid farewell to the goddess. The processions that started in the afternoon continued till late in the evening.

AIDS Infected Children Pray to Goddess Durga

Soon the Durga Puja will be over for the year. Yahoo! News India Web HIV-hit children offer prayers to Goddess Durga in West Bengal By ANI Friday October 19, 03:00 PM Gobindpur (West Bengal), Oct 19 (ANI): Children suffering from AIDS visited a pandal to offer their prayers to Goddess Durga on the occasion of Durga Puja. It was a momentous occasion for about 80 children who are mentally challenged apart from being HIV positive. Unlike other parts of the country where HIV positive are mostly ostracized, the residents of Gobindpur village in West Bengal mingled freely with these children and enjoyed the fun and frolic. 'Offer', a Non-Governmental Organisation, which runs a residential complex for these children, organised the village festival. The objective of the whole exercise was to spread the message that AIDS is not an infectious disease. "We run a residential programme where abandoned children are kept. They are socially unaccepted. We try to bring them up in congenial environment", saidallol Ghosh, Secretary of NGO. The children started preparations for the festival a month in advance. Attired in their new dresses, they enjoyed full independence. "For five to six days, we try to bring a smile to their faces. We have lunch together, we dance together and also organise some cultural programmes," saidomashree, chief co-ordinator of the NGO. There has been an alarming increase in the number of AIDS cases in West Bengal, which has a population of about 80 million. According to National AIDS Control Organisation estimats, there were 6,941 HIV positive people in West Bengal as of July 2005 of which 2,397 were full blown AIDS patients. India has the world's third highest HIV caseload, after South Africa and Nigeria, with around 2.5 million people living with the virus. The Government said at least 21,000 children are infected every year through mother-to-child transmission of the virus. According to UNAIDS, 60,000 infants are born every year with disease. (ANI)