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Durga Puja 2007 |
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Religious experience |
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For many, the autumn festival of Durga Puja is the most important religious festival in the Bengali calendar. Few other festivals occupy so much media coverage each year or mean quite so much in terms of spiritual fulfilment. Just like Rama in Krittivasa’s 15th Ramaayana, those who perform Puja to Durga do it as a vow that brings numerous benefits. Although it has lost its martial aspect, Durga puja still symbolises victory over evil both on a personal level and in society at large. So it is not surprising to find that Durga herself is called Durgatinashini, she who removes all obstacles and puts down calamities or to find that the name Durga can mean a fortress, something that is inaccessible. But Durga is not remote. She is Ma, mother, as well as much loved daughter of Himavat, the Himalayas, who visits for a short while and then returns to her mountain home. A glimpse of her face, as in Satyajit Ray’s film Pather Panchali, evokes a whole range of thoughts and emotions. |
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ABOUT DURGA PUJA |
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The experience of being present in the sight of Durga and her family of Ganesh, Saraswati, Lakshmi and Kartik, of having darshan, is often an emotional one. Worshippers can bring whatever feelings and thoughts seem most appropriate in these private moments of prayer, reflection and meditation. When the priest gently requests 'ma go' (Mother dear) to listen to the prayers of those attending, his reactions and movements set the tone of the whole proceedings. The involvement of participants at every level of the proceedings, including the choice of flowers and cooking the food, the raising of the funds and sending out invitations, ensure that Durga puja is a lively social occasion. Physical contact with the images during puja such as the offering of bhog and sindur brings the worshipper in closer spiritual contact with Durga too for those fortunate enough to attend celebrations. Perhaps the words attributed to the influential 19th c Swami Vivekananda, who inaugurated Durga puja in 1901 at the Ramakrishna Mission, Belur Math, Kolkata using a clay image from Kumartuli, best sum up the way to think about the worship of the image of Durga: 'The Hindu does not worship an idol made of wood and clay, he sees consiousness within the earthneness and loses himself in it.' This is the religious experience of Durga puja. |
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Durga Puja 2008 |
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Photo Gallery 2008 |
