The Hindu Festival of Durga Puja

Bengalis Celebrate the Slaying of Mahishasura by the Goddess

Sep 20, 2009

Dussera is celebrated as Durga Puja in West Bengal to commemorate the victory over Mahishasura. The Hindu diaspora celebrates Durga Puja in a less traditional manner.

Bengalis celebrate the ten day Dussera festival as Durga Puja. The state of West Bengal, which is the home of the Bengalis, is virtually closed for business and trade transactions during this period.

The celebrations are both private and public. Large idols of the Goddess are erected in public places and the festivities continue round-the-clock. Kolkata, the capital of West Bengal, comes alive during this festival. Many Bengalis living abroad choose this time of the year to return to their native homes.

The Legends of Durga Puja

The most popular legend associated with Durga Puja is that of Mahishasura. This legend is described in the Durga Saptashati story of the Markandeya Purana. Mahishasura was a demon who had received a boon that he would not die at the hands of a male. After receiving the boom, he began to terrorize the world.

The Trinity of gods, Vishnu, Shiva and Brahma were powerless because they represented the male. They went to their consorts, Lakshmi, Parvati and Saraswati to take the matter in their hands. The three goddesses decided to combine their powers and thus the avatar of Durga was conceived.

Armed with weapons from all the gods and astride a majestic lion she challenged Mahishasura. One by one, she demolished his generals. Then the demon took the form of a buffalo and attacked Durga. For ten days the battle raged between Durga and the buffalo demon. Finally Durga beheaded the buffalo and from the body emerged Mahishasura. Durga pierced the demon with her trident and rid the world of a tyrant. Thus Durga is also known as Mahishasuramardini or the slayer of Mahishasura. Traditionally these ten days of battle coincide with Rama’s battle with Ravan.

The poet Krittibas Ojha composed a Bengali version of the Ramayana. This was not a mere translation of any earlier work but a superimposition of the Bengali culture to the events in the Ramayana. This version of the Ramayana is referred to as Shri Rama Panchali or Krittibasi Ramayana. Ojha refers to Rama invoking Durga’s blessings before his battle with Ravan. Traditionally Durga was worshiped in spring. But because of the battle situation, Rama was compelled to worship her in autumn. Over the years the autumn worship or akaal bodhan gained popularity and became the traditional time to celebrate Durga Puja.

Depiction of the Goddess

Apart from the Markandeya Purana Durga is described in several other scriptures. And since these descriptions vary so does the iconography of the idols. However the idols follow the general description from the scriptures.

The maximum variation is in the number of arms. Durga is usually shown with four, eight, ten, eighteen, or twenty arms. Many of the Gods and demi-Gods presented Durga with weapons before she rode to battle with Mahishasura. In order that she carries all these weapons with her, Durga is shown with many arms. Also in the idols where she is depicted in a more fearsome manner, she is shown with more arms. The weapons that Durga is shown with are discus, trident, bow, arrow, sword, dagger, shield, spear, mace and axe among others. She also carries the conch shell that is traditionally used to announce oneself before a battle.

Many images of Durga bear three eyes. The third eye is depicted vertically on the forehead. The eyes are large and laced with kohl. Bengali women are endowed with large beautiful eyes and use kohl liberally. This aspect of their culture has rubbed off on the idols. Durga is usually dressed in bright red and heavily ornamented.

Durga Puja is celebrated at the time of the autumn harvest. Hence certain agrarian aspects are also intermingled in the iconography. Many idols depict a pot filled with water from the Ganga and carrying the navapattrika or a bundle of nine specific plants. The pot is placed on moist dough that contains the seeds of five grains.

Durga Puja for the Hindu Diaspora

Not all Hindus can return to India for the celebration of Durga Puja. Obviously they cannot celebrate the festival in the same manner outside India because it disrupts civic life and also has environmental issues.

There are other traditional and non traditional methods to conduct the worship in such cases. One method is to perform the prayers before a painting or print of the Goddess. Two prints are in common use. One depicts Durga in the traditional iconography. The other depicts a trident with an eye shown in each arm of the trident.

But paper depictions are in the end eco-unfriendly, though much less than idols. Therefore there is a trend to worship online. Various representations of Durga are available in electronic format and the devotee can choose from them. There are provisions to offer a virtual Puja and record the worship.

The copyright of the article The Hindu Festival of Durga Puja in Hindu Culture is owned by Harsh Nevatia. Permission to republish The Hindu Festival of Durga Puja in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.