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Durga Puja: West Bengal
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Durga Puja is one of the most important festivel of Bengalies. The festivel goes on for five days. People play dhak, dhunuchi and shiuli on that occasion. The occasion starts from Mahalaya day, the day durga was assigned the task of eliminating evil.
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Durga Puja or Navaratri commences on the first and ends on the tenth day of the bright half of Aswayuja (September-October). It is held in commemoration of the victory of Durga over Mahishasura, the buffalo-headed demon. In Bengal Her image is worshipped for nine days and then cast into water. The tenth day is called Vijaya Dasami or Dussera (the "tenth day"). Processions with Her image are taken out along the streets of villages and cities.
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History of Durga Puja in Bengal dates back to the Mughal era. History said that the first Puja was organised by Raja Kangshanarayan of Teherpur, Nadia and then Raja Jagatnarayan of Bhaduria followed soon after. Other Hindu kings too came forward and the puja spread far and wide to Gour, RajMahal, Murshibad and Krishnagar.
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The conventional Durga Puja, which is celebrated in the Basant Kaal, is usually known as Basanti Puja. This Puja used to be offered by King Ravana of Lanka. And in Bengal it is celebrated as a homely occasion.
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During the week of Durga Puja, in the entire state of West Bengal as well as in large enclaves of Bengalis everywhere, life comes to a complete standstill. In playgrounds, traffic circles, ponds -- wherever space may be available -- elaborate structures called pandals 'are set up, many with nearly a year's worth of planning behind them. The word pandal means a temporary structure, made of bamboo and cloth, which is used as a temporary temple for the purpose of the puja. While some of the pandals are simple structures, others are often elaborate works of art with themes that rely heavily on history, current affairs and sometimes pure imagination.
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In West- Bengal’s neighbour state Orissa the festivals of Durga Puja celebrate in a similar manner. Especially in the city of Cuttack a large number of idols of Durga and Mahadev are worshipped in profusely decorated pandals. Life comes to a stand-still in the city as crowds pour over the Puja Mandaps to enjoy the festivities. On the day succeeding 'Vijaya Dasami', the last day of Dussera, the images are taken in a spectacular procession for immersion in the river Kathajodi.
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