• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • HOME
  • CONTACT US
  • All Essays
  • JEE Main 2022

Study Today

Largest Compilation of Structured Essays and Exams

  • Essay⯆
    • Freedom Fighters
    • Leaders
    • Events
    • Festival
  • JEE Main
  • Scholarship 2022
    • Class 1
    • Class 2
    • Class 3
    • Class 4
    • Class 5
    • Class 6
    • Class 7
    • Class 8
    • Class 9
    • Class 10
    • Class 11
    • Class 12
  • Speech
  • History
  • General Knowledge
    • Things to Know⯆
    • Blog

Essay on Durga Puja Celebration in Kolkata

February 17, 2018 by Study Mentor Leave a Comment

Table of Contents

  • The Mythology of Durga
    • History of the festival
    • The Legend of Durga’s creation
  • Durga Puja or Durgotsava in West Bengal
    • Mahalaya
    • The Festival in West Bengal
    • Idols and Pandals
    • The main five days (Shoshthi to Dashami)

The Mythology of Durga

Durga is a famous goddess in the pantheon of Hindu deities. Her name in Sanskrit means the “unreachable or inaccessible.”

She is an embodiment of Shakti or Power and is venerated as the Mother of the Universe, a symbol of female strength in two aspects, the preserver of good and the destroyer of evil.

She is addressed by multifarious names and worshipped in multiple avatars. She is variously referred to as Uma meaning “the light”; Gauri meaning “the shining”; Parvati meaning “the mountain queen”; and Jagatmata meaning “the universal mother”; Kali meaning “the thunderous”; Chandi meaning “the fierce”; and Bhairavi meaning “the terrifying.”

She is the divine consort of Shiva and is worshipped across India in various forms corresponding to her dual and complementary aspects: preserver and benefactor of goodness as well as destroyer and eliminator of evil and wrongdoing.

Her most magnificent name is Simhavahin meaning “she who rides astride the lion”. She is usually enshrined in a depiction of an idol of rare beauty, adorned in rich red and golden sari laden with gold ornaments on her head and her body.

Her hair is long and luxuriant, open tresses and shining eyes as she rides astride a ferocious lion. On her head is a crown (karandamukut) and in her ten hands she holds different objects including a trishul or trident with which she kills the demon Mahishasur.

History of the festival

Durga Puja was first organised by the rich Bengali landowners or Zamindars, in 1757 to honour and welcome Robert Clive . The man who initiated it was Raja Nabakrishna Deb of Calcutta.

After this a practice of elite people organizing their own household pujas became the norm but many common people were excluded from these festivities.

By the early 20th century the concept of the public or community Puja had evolved called the “sarbojanin” puja and this included people from all castes, creeds and ranks of life.

Puja became a great social leveller and a unifying force in the country. Today Durga Puja is an important socio-cultural event in the state and in the country.

The Legend of Durga’s creation

A monster called Mahshahur had terrorised the world. He was half-man and half-demon. Neither Vishnu nor Shiva could vanquish him. Thus Shakti was invoked by them and Durga was created to battle Mahishasur.

Durga rode on a lion and carried several weapons in her several hands. Finally she killed Mahishasur and restored heaven back to the Gods.

Since then she is seen as a symbol of the female strength and is venerated for the victory of good over evil. Even in the Vedas and Puranas, Durga has been mentioned as a deity worthy of reverence and adoration.

Durga Puja or Durgotsava in West Bengal

In the whole of India Durga Puja is celebrated with faith and gusto for ten days as the festival of Navratri beginning with Ekadashi and ending with Dussehra. Yet in West Bengal it is celebrated from the day of Mahalaya.

Mahalaya

Mahalaya is the first day of autumn and begins after Janmashthami ends. It brings in the pervasive festive spirit of Durga Puja.

It takes place nearly a week before the actual first day of Navratri. On the day of Mahalaya, hymns are chanted invoking the Goddess

Durga to visit the Earth which is regarded as the paternal home of  her as a married  lady visiting her parents along with her children, only to return to her husband’s home by immersion in the ocean after ten days of festivity and gaiety.

On the day of Mahalaya, people line up on the banks of the Hooghly and engage priests to chant and offer prayers or “tarpan” in the memory of the departed souls of their ancestors.

The midnight chants of various hymns of ‘Mahishasur Mardini’ are very stirring and poignant and remind us that Durga Puja is around the corner. Mahalaya is a very auspicious and holy day.

The Festival in West Bengal

Durga Puja is celebrated with gusto and fervour throughout the country and especially so in West Bengal where it is a massive social event too.

Different areas in the state celebrate public puja ceremonies by forming committees of local residents who raise funds through donation and corporate sponsorship plus political involvement and investment.

Goddess Kali

Idols and Pandals

This money goes into commissioning the gigantic idols of Durga, her children and Mahishasur that are created in a place called Kumartuli which is internationally famous for its artisans who make magnificent  idols out of mud and clay.

The next big expenditure is the construction of theme-based magnificent “pandals” or architectural outdoor canopies where the idols are kept.

These canopies or “pandals” are temporary structures erected from bamboos and fibre glass.

Within these lights and chandeliers are fitted and the deity is housed upon a huge platform visible from miles beyond.

Nowadays theme-based “pandals” on Harry Potter, monuments of the world, Doraemon, etc. are the rage and competitions called “Sharadiya Saamman” are organised by Asian Paints to give away the grand prize to the committee with the most creative and innovative puja pandal.

The main five days (Shoshthi to Dashami)

The last five days of the festival are most important. They are respectively called “Shoshthi”, Saptami”. “Ashthami”, “Nabami” and “Dashami”.

Each of these days has a special puja and the evening has what is called “shondhi pujo.” The air is filled with the sound of “dhakis” or drummers playing a special drum and the priests chanting the holy mantras.

There is a special dance called “dhunuchi naach” with small containers of burning and fragrant coal and incense to perform the rituals before the goddess.

It is believed that the more idols people visit, the more the goddess will be pleased to grant blessings upon the people.

So all over the state people visit various idols from early morning till late at night and call this “thakur darshan” or seeking the blessings of the deity.

The entire atmosphere is festive, happy and spiritual. The concept is that Maa Durga has visited her parental home on Earth and on the tenth day or Dashami, she will be returned to the oceans to be united with her imperial consort Shiva.

That is why the idol is dressed in red and adorned with sindoor which is called “shringaar” or “boron” and then carried off for immersion which is called “visarjan”.

Filed Under: Essay, Festival

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Search for Essay

Top Engineering Exams in India

  1. JEE Main

Get Benefits in Click

Best Scholarship for Students

  1. Scholarship 2022
  2. Apj Abdul Kalam Scholarship 2022
  3. Ashirwad Scholarship 2022
  4. Bihar Scholarship 2022
  5. Canara Bank Scholarship 2022
  6. Colgate Scholarship 2022
  7. Dr Ambedkar Scholarship 2022
  8. E District Scholarship 2022
  9. Epass Karnataka Scholarship 2022
  10. Fair And Lovely Scholarship 2022
  11. Floridas John Mckay Scholarship 2022
  12. Inspire Scholarship 2022
  13. Jio Scholarship 2022
  14. Karnataka Minority Scholarship 2022
  15. Lic Scholarship 2022
  16. Maulana Azad Scholarship 2022
  17. Medhavi Scholarship 2022
  18. Minority Scholarship 2022
  19. Moma Scholarship 2022
  20. Mp Scholarship 2022
  21. Muslim Minority Scholarship 2022
  22. Nsp Scholarship 2022
  23. Oasis Scholarship 2022
  24. Obc Scholarship 2022
  25. Odisha Scholarship 2022
  26. Pfms Scholarship 2022
  27. Post Matric Scholarship 2022
  28. Pre Matric Scholarship 2022
  29. Prerana Scholarship 2022
  30. Prime Minister Scholarship 2022
  31. Rajasthan Scholarship 2022
  32. Santoor Scholarship 2022
  33. Sitaram Jindal Scholarship 2022
  34. Ssp Scholarship 2022
  35. Swami Vivekananda Scholarship 2022
  36. Ts Epass Scholarship 2022
  37. Up Scholarship 2022
  38. Vidhyasaarathi Scholarship 2022
  39. Wbmdfc Scholarship 2022
  40. West Bengal Minority Scholarship 2022

Advertisement

Students Big Search Today

  1. Speech about Family
  2. Women Safety Essay
  3. Autobiography of a Pen
  4. About Haritha Haram
  5. Mahatma Gandhi Essay
  6. Clayton Rule
  7. My Favourite Cartoon
  8. Clayton Rule
  9. Importance of Trees Essay
  10. Directive Principles of State Policy
  11. My Favourite Teacher
  12. Speech About Family
  13. My Father Essay
  14. Honesty is the Best Policy Essay
  15. my favourite book

Footer

Top Trending Essays in March 2021

  1. Essay on Pollution
  2. Essay on my School
  3. Summer Season
  4. My favourite teacher
  5. World heritage day quotes
  6. my family speech
  7. importance of trees essay
  8. autobiography of a pen
  9. honesty is the best policy essay
  10. essay on building a great india
  11. my favourite book essay
  12. essay on caa
  13. my favourite player
  14. autobiography of a river
  15. farewell speech for class 10 by class 9
  16. essay my favourite teacher 200 words
  17. internet influence on kids essay
  18. my favourite cartoon character

Brilliantly

SAFE!

studytoday.net

Content & Links

Verified by Sur.ly

2022

Essay for Students

  • Essay for Class 1 to 5 Students

Scholarships for Students

  1. Class 1 Students Scholarship
  2. Class 2 Students Scholarship
  3. Class 3 Students Scholarship
  4. Class 4 Students Scholarship
  5. Class 5 students Scholarship
  6. Class 6 Students Scholarship
  7. Class 7 students Scholarship
  8. Class 8 Students Scholarship
  9. Class 9 Students Scholarship
  10. Class 10 Students Scholarship
  11. Class 11 Students Scholarship
  12. Class 12 Students Scholarship
  13. Class 11 Students Scholarship
  14. Class 12 Students Scholarship

STAY CONNECTED

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Resources

  • About Study Today
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions

Scholarships

  1. Apj Abdul Kalam Scholarship
  2. Ashirwad Scholarship
  3. Bihar Scholarship
  4. Canara Bank Scholarship
  5. Colgate Scholarship
  6. Dr Ambedkar Scholarship
  7. E District Scholarship
  8. Epass Karnataka Scholarship
  9. Fair And Lovely Scholarship
  10. Floridas John Mckay Scholarship
  11. Inspire Scholarship
  12. Jio Scholarship
  13. Karnataka Minority Scholarship
  14. Lic Scholarship
  15. Maulana Azad Scholarship
  16. Medhavi Scholarship
  17. Minority Scholarship
  18. Moma Scholarship
  19. Mp Scholarship
  20. Muslim Minority Scholarship
  21. Nsp Scholarship
  22. Oasis Scholarship
  23. Obc Scholarship
  24. Odisha Scholarship
  25. Pfms Scholarship
  26. Post Matric Scholarship
  27. Pre Matric Scholarship
  28. Prerana Scholarship
  29. Prime Minister Scholarship
  30. Rajasthan Scholarship
  31. Santoor Scholarship
  32. Sitaram Jindal Scholarship
  33. Ssp Scholarship
  34. Swami Vivekananda Scholarship
  35. Ts Epass Scholarship
  36. Up Scholarship
  37. Vidhyasaarathi Scholarship
  38. Wbmdfc Scholarship
  39. West Bengal Minority Scholarship

All Rights Reserved Copyrights @ 2020 StudyToday.net