When is Durga Puja?
In India, Durga Puja is a public holiday in several states. The names and dates may differ and some states observe holidays related to the festivals of Dussehra and Navrati which are celebrated on similar dates.
To complicate matters, in some regions the tenth day of both Durga Puja and Dussehra is known as Vijaya Dasami.
Durga Puja, also known as Durgotsava or Mahashtami, is a Hindu festival in South Asia that celebrates the worship of the goddess Durga.
Durga Puja celebrates the ten-armed mother goddess and her victory over the evil buffalo demon Mahishasura.
While celebrated across India, In West Bengal, Assam and Tripura, it is the biggest festival of the year and the most significant cultural event in Bengali Hindu society.
The world was under threat from the evil buffalo demon Mahishasura, that no man or god could defeat. To vanquish the demon, Durga emerged from the collective energies of all the gods. Each of her ten arms brandished the deadliest weapon of each god. Durga was the mother to four gods, Kartikeya, Ganesha, Saraswati, and Lakshmi.
To Hindus, Durga represents the embodiment of shakti, the powerful feminine force that governs all cosmic creation, existence, and change.
Before his battle with Ravana, Lord Rama invoked the goddess and her victory over the buffalo-demon, which ties the festivals of Durga Puja and Dussehra closely together.
Key days during Durga Puja
The rituals of Durga Puja last ten days with the start and the last four days being special festivals that are reflected in public holidays in some states in India.
Mahalaya
Mahalaya marks the start of the Durga Puja festival. On this day, the goddess Durga is believed to have descended to Earth and large, elaborately crafted statutes of Durga are set up in homes and decorated podiums, called Pandals.
Maha Saptami
On the seventh day (saptami) of Durga Puja, the goddess started her epic battle against Mahishasura.
Durgastami
Known as Durgashtami, Mahashtami or Durga Ashtami, this is the eighth day of Durga Puja celebrations. Durgastami is one of the important days of Durga Puja and many people may fast on this day. The weapons of the gods used by Durga are worshipped today.
Vijaya Dashami
Also known as Dashain or Tenth day of Navratri or Durgotsav, Vijaya Dashami commemorates the day that Durga appeared riding a lion to slay the Mahisasura. Statutes of Durga are paraded through the streets, then immersed in water.
Durga Puja in Kolkata
In December 2021, UNESCO added Durga Puja to its "Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity" list. The decision was taken during the sixteenth session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. Prime Minister Modi, reacting to the development called it "A matter of great pride and joy for every Indian."
Durga Puja becomes the first festival in Asia to receive the UNESCO heritage tag.
