Our website is made possible by displaying online advertisements to our visitors.
Please consider supporting us by disabling your ad blocker.
Durga Puja
| Durga Puja দুর্গাপূজা (Bengali) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Nickname | Durgotsava, Shaaradotsava |
| Status | Public holiday in Indian states of West Bengal, Odisha,Tripura, Bihar, Assam and the country Bangladesh and Nepal[1] Optional holiday in Pakistan |
| Genre | Religious and cultural festival |
| Begins | Mahalaya |
| Ends | Vijaya Dashami |
| Frequency | Annual |
| Founders | Rama, according to the legends |
| Participants | Mainly Eastern, Northeast India[2] and Hindus in Bangladesh[3] and Nepal[4][5][6][7] |
| Major events | Worshipping Hindu deities, family and other social gatherings, shopping and gift-giving, feasting, pandal visiting, and cultural events |
| Main observation | Ceremonial worship of Goddess Durga |
Hindu festival dates The Hindu calendar is lunisolar but most festival dates are specified using the lunar portion of the calendar. A lunar day is uniquely identified by three calendar elements: māsa (lunar month), pakṣa (lunar fortnight) and tithi (lunar day). Furthermore, when specifying the masa, one of two traditions are applicable, viz. amānta / pūrṇimānta. If a festival falls in the waning phase of the moon, these two traditions identify the same lunar day as falling in two different (but successive) masa. A lunar year is shorter than a solar year by about eleven days. As a result, most Hindu festivals occur on different days in successive years on the Gregorian calendar. | |
| Part of a series on |
| Shaktism |
|---|
 |
 Hinduism portal |
Durga Puja (Bengali: দুর্গাপূজা) (ISO: Durgā Pūjā), also known as Durgotsava or Shaaradotsava, is an annual festival originating in the Indian subcontinent which reveres and pays homage to the Hindu goddess Durga, and is also celebrated because of Durga's victory over Mahishasura.[8][9] It is the biggest festival of Bengali Hindus and the Indian state of West Bengal.[10][11] A 2019 study by the British Council estimated the economic value of creative industries associated with Durga Puja in West Bengal at ₹32,377 crores (2.6% of the state's GDP in that financial year).[12][13] West Bengal's capital city Kolkata's Durga Puja has been inscribed on the intangible cultural heritage list of UNESCO in December 2021.[14]
In addition to West Bengal, Hindu Bengalis are native to Bangladesh[15] and Indian state of Tripura[16], Assam (Barak Valley)[17], Jharkhand[18] and Bihar (Kosi-Seemanchal)[19]; Therefore, Durga Puja is performed with great devotion in these places as well.
The festival is observed in the Indian calendar in the month of Ashvin, which corresponds to September–October in the Gregorian calendar.[20][21] Durga Puja is a ten-day festival,[22][8] of which the last five are of the most significance.[23][21] Even though Durga Puja and Navaratri are observed simultaneously dedicated to the Hindu goddess Durga, but they are not the same festival.[24]
The puja is performed in homes and public, the latter featuring a temporary stage and structural decorations (known as pandals). The festival is also marked by scripture recitations, performance arts, revelry, gift-giving, family visits, feasting, and public processions called a melā.[8][25][26] Durga Puja is an important festival in the Shaktism tradition of Hinduism.[27][28][29] Durga Puja which is celebrated as Gosani Yatra in Puri. In this festival of Puri, several big clay idols of Mahisamardini Durga are worshipped every year in the month of Asvina (October).
As per Hindu scriptures, the festival marks the victory of goddess Durga in her battle against the shape-shifting Demon, Mahishasura.[30][31][A] Thus, the festival epitomizes the victory of good over evil, though it is also in part a harvest festival celebrating the goddess as the motherly power behind all of life and creation.[33][34] Durga Puja coincides with Navaratri and Dussehra celebrations observed by other traditions of Hinduism.[35][36][37]
The primary goddess revered during Durga Puja is Durga, but celebrations also include other major deities of Hinduism such as Lakshmi (the goddess of wealth and prosperity), Saraswati (the goddess of knowledge and music), Ganesha (the god of good beginnings), and Kartikeya (the god of war). In Bengali traditions, these deities are considered to be Durga's children, and Durga Puja is believed to commemorate Durga's visit to her natal home with her beloved children. The festival is preceded by Mahalaya, which is believed to mark the start of Durga's journey to her natal home. Primary celebrations begin on the sixth day (Shasthi), on which the goddess is welcomed with rituals. The festival ends on the tenth day (Vijaya Dashami), when devotees embark on a procession carrying the worshipped clay sculpture-idols to a river, or other water bodies, and immerse them, symbolic of her return to the divine cosmos and her marital home with Shiva in Kailash. Regional and community variations in celebration of the festival and rituals observed exist.
Durga Puja is an old tradition of Hinduism,[38] though its exact origins are unclear. Surviving manuscripts from the 14th-century provide guidelines for Durga Puja, while historical records suggest that royalty and wealthy families were sponsoring major Durga Puja festivities since at least the 16th-century.[39][self-published source?][27] The prominence of Durga Puja increased during the British Raj in the provinces of Bengal, Odisha, Bihar, Jharkhand, eastern Uttar Pradesh and Assam.[40][9] However, in modern times, the importance of Durga Puja is more as a social and cultural festival than a religious one, wherever it is observed. [citation needed]
Over the years, Durga Puja has morphed into an inseparable part of Indian culture with a diverse group of people celebrating this festival in their unique way while on tradition.[9]
- ^ "Nepal Public Holidays". Edarabia.com. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
- ^ "Celebrating Durga puja across India: Top destinations for festive bliss". Business Insider India.
- ^ "Durga festival returns to indigenous village after 150 years". Dhaka Tribune. 17 October 2015.
- ^ "The Festive Season in Nepal Has Begun. One Month of Holidays- Durga Puja and Dipawali". 21 September 2017.
- ^ Campbell, R.J. and Little, V. (1989). Humanities in the Primary School. Falmer Press. p. 182. ISBN 978-1-8500-0544-5. LCCN 89036052.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Ghosh, J. (2019). General Knowledge of Northeast India: For All Psc and Competitive Exams. Educreation Publishing. p. 152.
- ^ Rahman, M. (2018). The Political History of Muslim Bengal: An Unfinished Battle of Faith. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. p. 240. ISBN 978-1-5275-2061-5.
- ^ a b c Lochtefeld 2002, p. 208.
- ^ a b c Bradley 2012, p. 214.
- ^ Devalla, Rani (3 October 2024). "Bengali families brace for grand celebration of 'Durga pujo'". www.thehansindia.com. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
- ^ Cosentino, Simona (7 October 2024). "Durga Puja festival: where it originated and how it's celebrated". The Conversation. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
- ^ Chatterjee, Shrabana (30 September 2024). "Kolkata's Durga Puja economy takes a major hit amidst ongoing R.G. Kar protests". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
- ^ Sarkar, Joydeep (6 October 2024). "Bengal's Economy Has Always Relied on the Durga Puja – Will This Prove Much Too Dear This Time?". The Wire.
- ^ "Durga Puja inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity". Archived from the original on 19 October 2022. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
- ^ "Bangladesh's Hindus celebrate despite violence against minority groups". South China Morning Post. 12 October 2024. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
- ^ "TRIPURAINFO : The first news, views & information website of TRIPURA". tripurainfo.com. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
- ^ "Himanta Biswa Sarma reaches out to Barak Valley, visits region for Durga Puja". Hindustan Times. 12 October 2021. Archived from the original on 30 November 2024. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
- ^ Story, Jharkhand (10 October 2024). "Jharkhand News: Durga Puja rituals commence in Dhanbad with a holy bath of 'Kola Bou'". The Jharkhand Story. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
- ^ "56 सालों से मधुबनी कॉलोनी में बंगाली विधि विधान से होती है दुर्गापूजा, 2 साल बाद लगेगा 4 दिन का मेला". Danik Bhaskar.
- ^ Kinsley 1988, pp. 106–108.
- ^ a b Encyclopedia Britannica 2015.
- ^ Doniger 1999, p. 306.
- ^ Parmita Borah (2 October 2011). "Durga Puja – a Celebration of Female Supremacy". EF News International. Archived from the original on 25 April 2012. Retrieved 26 October 2011.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ "Navratri And Durga Puja: Understanding The Differences Between The Two Festivals". Times Now. 7 October 2024. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
- ^ Melton 2011, pp. 239–241.
- ^ Amazzone 2011, pp. 82–83.
- ^ a b McDermott 2001, pp. 172–174.
- ^ Foulston & Abbott 2009, pp. 162–169.
- ^ Rodrigues 2003, pp. 7–8.
- ^ Daniélou 1991, p. 288.
- ^ McDaniel 2004, pp. 215–219.
- ^ McDaniel 2004, pp. 20–21, 217–219.
- ^ Kinsley 1988, pp. 111–112.
- ^ Donner 2016, p. 25.
- ^ "Durga Puja (Durga Ashtami) 2020: Is Maa Durga Worthy to Worship?". S A NEWS. 24 October 2020. Archived from the original on 28 October 2020. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
- ^ Lochtefeld 2002, pp. 212–213.
- ^ Jones & Ryan 2006, pp. 308–309.
- ^ "Durga Puja | Traditions & Facts". Encyclopedia Britannica. Archived from the original on 30 October 2020. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
- ^ "Dutta Chaudhuri Ancestry". 14 February 2021.
- ^ "Durga Puja". Assam Online Portal. Archived from the original on 17 August 2012.
Cite error: There are <ref group=upper-alpha> tags or {{efn-ua}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=upper-alpha}} template or {{notelist-ua}} template (see the help page).
Previous Page Next Page
