Durga Puja

In India, festival of Durga Puja or Dussera is on. To know about this festival, click here. Other images have been show cased in the page “Durga Puja 2015”

 

Mahalaya

Like every year, this year too Durga Puja or Dussera is at our doorstep. All around atmoshphere in the nature and everywhere reminds us about the festival. Today is Mahalaya. Seven days before Durga Puja, “Mahalaya”, an auspicious occasion, is observed. This auspicious occasion heralds the coming of Maa Durga and begins the festivity to welcome her on this earth. It’s a kind of invitation (or we should say invocation) to the mother goddess to descend on earth and that’s why we chant saying – ‘Jago, Maa Jago’. Invocation of Mother Durga is done through the chanting of mantras, singing devotional songs and scriptural verses from “Chandi”. Since early 1930s, the early morning Radio program ”Mahishasura Mardini” of Akashbani Kolkata on the Mahalaya day became a part of Bengali culture and the tradition is still continuing and nothing could change its originality as well as its popularity.

The story line goes like this : due to increasing cruelty of the demon king Mahishasura against the gods, the Gods pleaded Vishnu to annihilate the demon. The Trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Maheswara (Shiva) come together to create a powerful female form with 10 arms – Maa Durga or Mahamaya, the Mother of the Universe, who embodies the primeval source of all power. The Gods then bestow upon this supreme creation their individual blessings and weapons. Armed like a warrior, the goddess rides a lion to battle with the Demon Mahishasura. After a fierce combat the Durga is able to slay the asura king with her trident. Heaven and earth rejoice at her victory.

Another seven days to go to start the festival.  To read more about the festival, please go to My Post : Durga Puja

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Puja Pandal (II)

FD Block Salt Lake Kolkata at 0500AM

This is a fabricated structure representing a big old house of British time.

 

India Celebrating Durga Puja/Dussera

Ekdalia Evergreen’s puja Mandap
Ekdalia Evergreen’s Idol of Mother Durga

Read about Durga Puja

Mandap of Singhi Park

Idol of Singhi Park, South Calcutta

 

The great Fest in the corner

Kumartuli, a place in Kolkata where artisans are making idols of God & Goddesses for generations,  was visited on 30th Sept’12 to find out how the work is going on there  at this juncture of time when only 18 days are left for Durga Puja. Artisans at Kumartuli are working day night to finish the orders in time at their studios/ workshops. To know about this great Fest of India which is also celebrated through out the world, wherever Indians are there, please click to the link of my page “Durga Puja Album“.

The above pics are showing the semi finished idols. The finished idols will be posted after few days.

 

Durga Puja 2010