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 ...

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 At...

India:A land of festivals India,as many will know has a vast area of traditions and cultures.It is very vast and vivid and there are many states in India,with their unique cultural and traditional views and values.Due to this varied kind of people and cultures and religions,India is so diverse and unique.Festivals keep all round the year,unlike many Western countries where they have only a handful at the end of the year. Here we can see above a very bright and colourful picture with a collage of different festivals of India.on the top from first it is the festival of colours that is Holi;next up is Raksha Bandhan;then there is festival of lights Deepawali;then is Durga Puja/Dusshehra,at bottom from left its a South Indian festival Onam;then is Lohri;after that Ganesh Chaturthi;then at least Islamic festival Eid.