Calcutta can be divided into two times. The times during Durga Puja and the times without Durga Puja. While without Durga Puja , this city is beautiful, but during the Durga Puja this city turns into the best in the world. For the intensity , crazyness , passion and enigmatic ambience that you find here for the 5 days of the annual festival. So here is a quick brief on the beggining of this festival and how it starts from my own experience, as I hopped into the city.
Essentially Durga Puja is the worship of the diving mother Goddess in the form of Devi Durga. According to myth , she was the answer to all the prayers of men , when a demon called Mahisasur was running rampant on Earth. She was the saviour of all mankind and bestowed upon the victory of good over the evil. Even now she is generally worshipped in the form of the Goddess slaying the demon.
According to legend though , this festival didn't came into existence during the months of Autumn untill Lord Ram performed it. Ram had to take blessings , to rescue his wife Sita from Ravana, and hence to make alliance with the mother Goddess performed the ceremony in the month of Autumn. Durga ashtami celebrates the day , when the alliance was made , and a special ceremony can be seen on this day that remembers the story.
The nine days of festival is known as Nav Ratri and celebrated mostly throughout India, however with different aspects.
The north and west of India , celebrates this ceremony of Lord Ram and his victory over Ravana primarily ending on Dusshera. However , In the east , the belief is a little different. Here , Durga is treated as the daughter of the land who is married to Shiva and resides with her husband In Himalayas. On this five days of auspicious timming , she comes down to visit her parents from the mountains, along with his children. So this Durga Puja is the celebration of HOMECOMMING of the Divine goddess.
So the Goddess is formed in her way of slaying the demons and accompanied by her two sons and daughters, are made into idols from mud and clay , at special Craftsmen workshops. From here it is dressed and packed and to be put on vehchiles and taken to respective pandals or temporary temples built for the five days of festival during this time of the year. The Craftsmen highly qualified and their super workmanship is renowned worldwide and takes up to five to six months to form the Goddess.
The formation of Goddess is highly creative process , where in the base is made of hay and bamboos, the flesh and face out of mud and clay. The finishing touches are of the eyes and is truly beautiful to see, once finished. Each and every idol is different in it's way , telling a story told by the Craftsmen with patience and precision through the idols.
Once the statues are all ready and opened for worship and display at respective pandals, the festival starts with full flow. And that's how one of the most intense human celebration is on its way.
Hope you have an amazing Durga Puja !
