Durga Puja - One of The Most Popular Indian Festival

The festival is observed twice a year, in the month of Chaitra (March-April) and in Aswin (September October). On the first of Chaitra (March-April) begins the celebration of the birth of Lord Ram (seventh incarnation of Vishnu). Every evening sermons are delivered by professional priests in all temples dedicated to Ram until the ninth day, when as soon as the sun reaches the meridian, the birth is celebrated with great éclat. In the sermons, prominence is given to stories from the Ramayana.

Durga Puja is celebrated in Aswin (September October) and it lasts for nine days, in honor of nine manifestations of Durga. The word Navaratri means nine nights. It is a great Hindu feast celebrating Durga. Devotees observe fast and pray to the goddess for health and prosperity. Durga Puja is offered in various parts of India to propitiate the goddess for mercy, protection, wealth, health, and prosperity.

Durga or Devi the goddess is the wife of Lord Shiva and daughter of Himvat. She is mentioned in Mahabharata under a variety of names. As a Shakti (female energy of Shiva) she has two characters, one mild, the other fierce; and it is under the latter that she is specially worshipped. She has a variety of names - referring to her various forms and actions.

In her milder form, she is Uma (light and a type of beauty), Gauri (yellow or brilliant), Parvati (mountaineer and Himavati from her parentage), Jagat-Mata (mother of the world), and Bhavani.

In her terrible form, she is Durga (the inaccessible), Kali (the black), Chandi (the fierce), and Bhairvi (the terrible). It is in this character the bloody sacrifices are offered to her during Durga Puja. She has ten arms and in most of her hands, she has weapons. As Kali or Kalika (black), she is represented with black skin, face dripping with blood, encircled with snakes, hung round with skull and heads of demons. As Vindhya-vasini (dweller in Vindhyas), she is worshipped at Mirzapur where Vindhyas approach the Ganges. As a Durga, she rides on a tiger with a fierce and menacing attitude. She is the renowned slayer of demons and is actually supposed to be goddess Kali. She killed Mahisha (buffalo demon), demons Sumbha and Nisumbha. She also killed demons Raktavija (blood sprinkling demon - as each drop of his blood had the power to become a demon), and Tripurasura.

During Durga Puja, devotees will make clay images of the goddess, which they will worship for nine days, and after that, it will be immersed in the water. During the nine days, devotees either fast or take only one meal. If they are unable to do so, they observe the fast for seven days, five or three days, at least. Special ritualistic worship of the Mother is conducted daily from Durga Sapashati. On Vijay Dashami (10th day) nine girls below the age of ten are worshipped as the embodiment of the divine mother. On this day a Havan (Yajana) is performed in the temple with recitation from Durga Saptashati in praise of the mother goddess. The recitation of mantras (hymns) and worship is performed in the right royal fashion. Brahmans and poor people are fed, and cash and clothes are given in charity.

The origin of the Navaratri is thus given. When Rama found that as soon as he cut off any heads of Ravan, they came to life again. All the gods became alarmed at this phenomenon and prayed to goddess Devi. She awoke at midnight of the first day of Ashwin (September-October) and blessed Rama - that he would be able to kill Ravana. The gods were grateful and decided to fast and worship the goddess. They performed Puja in the best possible way and Rame killed Ravana on the eighth day. The goddess appeared before the gods and they ignited the sacred fire on a ninth day and offered sacrifices. On the tenth day, Rama started back triumphantly for his capital, and therefore this day is called Vijay Dashami or Dussehra (Vijay means success and Dashami means the tenth day).

Lord Shiva permitted his wife Parvati, daughter of Himavant (Himalayas) to go and see her mother only during these nine days once a year, after which her mother had to send her back. The women make images to which they attach themselves like a mother to her daughter, whom she has to let go of her husband. Devotees make this festival into a series of spiritual exercises in which they confess their sins to the goddess, and then ask her help in their enterprises. In Bengal members of the family who live away from home return during the festival and stay together.