Durga Puja is an annual Hindu festival observed in South Asia to celebrate the eternal battle of good over evil. It is the worship of the power of good which always overcomes evil. |
 Durga Puja focuses on the worship of the Hindu goddess Durga. The dates of Durga Puja celebrations are set according to the traditional Hindu calendar and take place over a ten-day period. As stipulated by the Hindu scriptures, the celebration is timed to coincide with the lunar cycle during the Hindu month of Ashwin (September/October). The festival ends on Kojagori Lokkhi Puja ("Worship of Goddess Lakshmi on Kojagori Full Moon Night").
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Durga Puja is widely celebrated in the Indian states of West Bengal, Assam, Jharkhand, Orissa and Tripura where it is shortened to a five-day annual holiday. It is also the most significant socio-cultural event in Bengali society. Apart from eastern India, Durga Puja is also celebrated in other parts of the subcontinent, Nepal and Bangladesh.
Many cultural organizations of the Indian diaspora throughout the world arrange for the festival in countries such as the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, France, The Netherlands, Singapore and Kuwait, as well as many other countries with substantial Indian communities. |
The oldest continuing Puja has been conducted for four centuries in the princely houses of Orissa. Now, everyone can be included. The prominence of Durga Puja increased gradually in Bengal during the British Raj. After the Hindu reformists identified Durga with India, she became an icon for Indian Independence from Great Britain. In the first quarter of the 20th century, the tradition of Baroyari or Community Puja was popularized due to this. After independence in 1947, Durga Puja became one of the largest celebrated festivals in the world. |
The celebration includes iconic representations of Durga and her husband Shiva and their children Lakshmi, Saraswati, Ganesha and Kartikeya. On the day of Puja, life comes to a standstill. In every available space: parks, playgrounds, traffic circles, ponds, etc. elaborate structures of bamboo and cloth, called pandals are constructed. Some are elaborate and others are simple, depending on the money at hand. The entire year is devoted to planning this celebration.
Currently, there is a battle between those who celebrate the traditional Durga Puja and those who build on the growing popularity of themed-based Pujas. Groups traveling with family members or friends visit the pandals and visit the many food stalls available. This is called, "Pandal Hopping"
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In the center of festivities is a grand stage filled with depictions of the principal characters, often including living tableaus. The goddess Purja is depicted riding a lion and in her ten hands wielding ten weapons with which she will destroy evil demons. People show off their dancing and ritual drumming skills, while others offer flowers to the goddess. |
On the tenth day, Durga returns to her husband Shiva. This is ritualized by her immersion into the waters. These waters may be in the holy Ganges or in a pond in a simple village. It's the water that is important. |
Among the symbolic rituals still observed by a few traditionalists, a buffalo is beheaded to recreate the moment in Hindu mythology when the goddess Durga slayed the evil demon Mahishasur, who had assumed the form of a buffalo. |
Communities that can afford the best-made idols purchase them from well established artisans who specialize in the craft of depicting celestial beings from the Hindu pantheon of gods.
In rural areas, creation of the idols for the festivals is a holy ritualized endeavor that begins from the time the clay is collected from the banks of a river to the painting and ornamentation.
On the first day of the celebrations, the eyes are painted on the idols. Before this happens, and only after they have fasted for a day, the artisans eat only vegetarian food. |
| In Indian mythology, at the conclusion of the last day of Durga Puja the Nilkantha Bird is released and carries the message to Lord Shiva that the goddess Durga is returning from Earth to the heavenly realm. |
Because the idols are thrown into the waters at the end of Puja, a movement is afoot to have them constructed and painted with echo-friendly products. |
In recent years, the celebration of Durga Puja has turned into what some claim to be the "largest art festival in the world". In fact, in 2006, a grand Durga Puja ceremony was held in the Great Court of the British Museum in London.
In 2012, Durga Puja celebrations are scheduled to begin on October 16.
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For more information about internationally recognized photojournalist Sucheta Das, visit her two websites:
www.suchetadas.com
www.photoartgallery.org
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