India:a land of festivals

MAHALAYA: Homecoming of the Goddess It is that time of the year again...blossom in the air, the fragrance of  Sheuli Phool   (Night Jasmine Flower) marking the start of Puja season and the sound of the Shankha (conch shell) signifying the arrival of Maa Durga. It is that time when every Bengali's heart gets filled with joy and happiness and they wait for the celebrations to begin. What exactly is Mahalaya? Mahalaya marks the start of the Festival. It marks the end of the Pitra Paksha and the start of the Devi Paksha . It is believed that on this day Maa Durga descended to the earth from heavens, to fight Mahishasura , the demon who terrorized all the gods. Traditions of Mahalaya  Mahalaya is celebrated all over India, in Eastern states of India such as West Bengal, Assam, and parts of Tripura, it has a major significance. It begins by waking up early in the morning, offering Sheuli Phool to the goddess, blowing the Shankha and turning on the radio to listen to

Origins of Durga Puja    Durga is an ancient deity of Hinduism, according to various archaeological and textual pieces of evidence found by our archaeologists. However, the origins of Durga Puja are very clear and undocumented; as no proper mention of date and time is found anywhere. Some of the surviving manuscripts from the 14th Century have laid down some guidelines for Durga Puja, while historical records suggest royal and wealthy families were sponsoring major Durga Puja festivities since at least the 16th century. The 11th or 12th Century Jainism text Yasatilaka written by Somadeva about a festival and annual dates that were dedicated to a warrior goddess, celebrated by the king and his armed forces and the description mirrors attributes of Durga Puja.                                     The word Durga , and other related terms appear in Rigveda hymns and Atharvaveda. There is also a mention of a deity named Durgi in Taittriya Aranyaka. While the Vedic literature h

Durga Puja: The Festival Of Power Durga Puja is one of the important religious festivals in India that is celebrated across the country with much pomp and grandeur. It is generally based on the Hindu religious mythology of Goddess Durga who represents the Good, win over the Evil, which is represented by a demon Mahisasura. In Indian mythology, it has been said that the fight between the goddess Durga and Mahishasura continued for a total of 10 days. In Northern India, they celebrate Navaratri where the fast and pray the Goddess Durga, on whose name the festival is, and on the 10th day, Dussehra is celebrated; that marks the goddess's victory.         In Bengali culture, the main puja starts from Saptami , that is the 7th day of the fight. Saptami , Ashtami , Navami , and Dashami are the main days of celebration which are 7th,8th,9th and 10th days of the fight; respectively. On the 10th day,i.e, Dashami , the clay idols are immersed in water which represents the far