DURGA PUJA : Homage To The Mother Goddess

The Durga Puja of Bengal, performed during the nine days of Navaratri, is now a legendary celebration. Whole villages of idolmakers get busy months before, working with clay and hay, forming beautiful, lustrous idols of Durga, her sons Kartikeya and Ganesha and her daughters Lakshmi and Saraswati. She is always shown riding a lion and killing Mahishasura with her trident.

Community pujas in Bengal are organised enthusiastically in every locality and this annual celebration brings daily routine to complete stop. Families visit each other to share endless feasts of- sweetmeats, luchis, kheer and seasonal vegetables. On Bijoya day the idols are taken in elaborate processions for immersion to the river or the sea. This is a time of brightly illuminated pandals where performances of music, dance, plays and jatras traditionally take place.