DURGA PUJA
The Victory of Good over Evil This nine-day festival of the Hindus is celebrated in the month of Ashvina in Bengal. It marks the victory of Goddess Durga over the buffalo demon Mahishasura after a long battle, signifying the victory of good over evil. Durga Puja is a nine-day festival, celebrated in the state of West Bengal, from the first to the tenth day in the month of Ashvina. This period is celebrated as Navaratri in most parts of India. Durga Puja is the most important and the most eagerly-awaited festival of the state. It commemorates the victory of Durga over the demon Mahishasura. The festival assumed its popular status largely due to the efforts of King Ballal Sen. According to the Markandeya Purana and Devi Purana, Mahishasura was a buffalo demon. After severe penance lasting many years, he procured a boon from Brahma granting that he would not be slain by gods,men, spirits or any aspect of nature. Convinced that he was invincible, he tyrannised the entire world, vanquished the gods and ruled in their place. The gods appealed to Shiva for help. He suggested that the three great gods, Brahma, Vishnu and himself, should combine their energies to create a woman. She would be powerful enough to vanquish the demon, as he had foolishly forgotten to name women while asking for the boon. The three gods then combined their energies to create Durga, a beautiful woman with 18 arms. Her eyes shone like sun rays and her smile was as cool as the moon. Each god presented her with his special weapon and a lion was to beher vehicle. When Mahishasura heard of Durga`s beauty, he wished to marry her and sent across a proposal. Durga replied that she would marry him on condition that he defeat her in battle first. Enraged, Mahishasura accepted the challenge and a fierce battle ensued. The demon fired a barrage of deadly arrows at her, used a variety of weapons, and transformed himself into various animals to attack her. But Durga repulsed every attempt. Finally, using the discus Vishnu had given her, she sliced off his head. Flowers rainedon the goddess as the gods rejoiced. Shiva declared that the ninth day of the bright half of the month of Ashvina would be celebrated as the great day of victory of good over evil. According to local belief, Durga comes to the earth, her parental home, during this time. She arrives on the sixth day of the month and returns to her heavenly abode on the 10th day. For the 4 days that she is here however, she is welcomed and honoured as a family would its married daughter. Preparations for the festival begin many months in advance.

Local artisans are involved in making beautiful clay images of the goddess. Traditionally the images were carved out of white Indian cork, a very difficult technique. Today, cork is only used to make her crown and ornaments. The idol is then adorned in a traditional red sari and ornaments, as befitting a married Hindu woman. Chandmala, a garland of white lotus-like flowers made using white cork, is an essential adornment. Kumartuli and Krishnanagar, two small towns on the outskirts of Calcutta, are very popular sources of Durga idols. Celebrations for the festival span over a period of ten days. It is mostly a community affair and almost every colony or locality in Bengal erects tents for the grand puja. Artisans dole out all their artistic and creative talents to create beautiful tents, which also include replicas of local buildings. In fact the celebrations are not just restricted to Bengal; Durga Puja is celebrated with equal enthusiasm by Bengalis living in all parts of the country. On the first day of the festival, hymns are recited in to invoke the goddess in the heavens. This special recital is known as the Mahalaya. The next five days are spent preparing for the grand yearly visit of ma, or `mother` as Durga is affectionately called in Bengal. On the sixth day, called Mahashashti (the great sixth day), the idol of the goddess is placed on a raised platform in a previously erected enclosure. The goddess is also believed to arrive on the same day, accompanied by her children Ganesha, Kartikeya, Lakshmi and Sarasvati. The priest ceremonially establishes life in the clay image and from now on till the tenth day, the image is treated as the goddess herself. It is obligatory for all worshippers to clean their houses, take a purificatory bath and offer prayers to the goddess adorned in new clothes. Many devotees also observe a fast on this day and break the fast after the evening arati. For the next three days, devotees in the thousands come for darshan of the goddess and to offer prayers to her. Every morning on these four days, flowers are offered to the goddess. Between the eighth and ninth days, Sandhi Puja is performed in which animals are sacrificed in honour of the goddess in many places in Bengal. The ninth day is considered doubly auspicious as the goddess is believed to have been conceived and sent to earth by the gods on this day. The tenth day or Vijayadashmi (thevictorious tenth day) is both a day of joy and sorrow. It was on this day that the goddess slew the demon and rid the earth of his evil, but it is also the?day when she returns home. The idol of the goddess is taken to the river to be immersed on this day. Before the idol is lifted from its home, the priest symbolically immerses the idol, by capturing its reflection in a bowl of water. This is known as darpan visarjan or mirror immersion. Married women now take their last darshan of the goddess. They use the huge amount of specially consecrated sindoora lying around the goddess to anoint the head and the forehead of their married friends and relatives. This is believed to grant along life to their husbands. The priest now ceremonially extracts the `soul` from the image, after which it is lifeless again. This done, huge trucks are organised to lift the now lifeless idol of Durga and take it to be immersed on the edge of the river. The image is accompanied by a procession of dancers, singers and musicians. Anumber of people gather on both sides of the road to witness the event. Shouts of `Durga Mata Ki Jai` (HailMother Durga) and `Aaschey bachar abar hawbey` (She will come again next year) resound the air. With the immersion, the ten-day festivities come to an end. This festival celebrates the victory of good over evil. The yearly visit of the goddess is thought to bring well-being and happiness to the people. Because of her auspicious presence, no meat, wine or alchohol is consumed at this time. Everyone is expected to have new clothes for the festival.

The city of Calcutta almost never sleeps during the last five days. All, irrespective of caste, creed and religion, participate in this great festival giving rise to a brotherly spirit. Many cultural events are also organised during this period. `Dhunuchi nritya` or `the dance with effervescent smoke` is a traditional dance form from Bengal which is performed in front of the idol to the beat of the dhaki, the traditional drums. On the tenth day people visit each other`s houses, the young touching the elder`s feet as a mark of respect and then enjoying the renowned Bengali sweets. The festival fosters a feeling of harmony, joy and peace.