“Mahalaya” – is a Sanskrit word meaning “Great Abode”. It refers to the day when Goddess Durga is believed to begin her journey from Mount Kailash to Earth, marking the start of the Durga Puja festival. Mahalaya has two significances in Hindu tradition: on this day “Pitri-paksha” (also called “sola-shradhya” in Nepali) ends and initiates “Matri-paksha” also known as “Devi-paksha/Dashain” (in Nepali) which is a two-week period of devotion to Goddess Durga. On this auspicious day, Maa Durga is believed to begin her journey to earth vanquishing the demon “Mahishasura”- the triumph of good over evil. This rich cultural tradition continues from ancient tradition found in Vedic and Hindu mythology involves worshipping Goddess Durga as the divine feminine power, culminating in festivals that highlight community, devotion, and the seasonal arrival of autumn. This festival is now being celebrated by the NRI’s in almost all countries in the world making it a “Global Festival”! This age old traditional “Durga-Puja” festival in Bengal has been now included as one of the top most festivals of the world after UNESCO’s recognition of Durga Puja as a global cultural heritage in 2021.
According ancient history, the earliest depictions of Mahishasuramardini (Mahalaya) followed by worship of Maa Durga (Navaratri) was depicted in the first century BCE on Terracotta blocks in Rajasthan. While its origins are debated, some believe the worship of Maa Durga dates back to the Vedic period. Lord Rama’s invocation of the Goddess during the Ramayana is cited as the origin of this autumnal ritual which is also known as “Akal-Bodhan” means ‘out-of-season’ worship. The first grand Durga Puja in Bengal is said to have been celebrated in the late 1500’s initiated by landlords of Dinajpur and Maldah. The concept of community worship (Sarbajanin) began in 1790 with a collaboration of friends in Guptipara, Hoogly, known as the ‘baro-yaari’ (twelve friends or organizations combined efforts) puja. This paved the way for the modern, fully public Durga Puja, with the first one in 1910 in Baghbazar, Calcutta.
The primary significance of the festival is the celebration of Durga’s victory over Mahishasura, a demon who terrorized the world. This victory is commemorated annually on Vijayadashami. Goddess Durga is seen as the supreme divine feminine power, embodying the protective and nurturing aspects of the divine. In Bengal, the festival is also seen as the arrival of the goddess Uma (Durga-Maa Ashchen) with her children to her maternal home, accompanied by the blossoming of fragrant “Shiuli flowers” and white beautiful “Kash flowers” a distinct nip in the autumn air. Both the pure, white flowers are considered very auspicious, associated with purity and the arrival of divine beings and ancestors. The festival begins with Mahalaya, a period marking the goddess’s descent to earth, characterized by early morning (4AM) radio program “Mahishasura Mardini” which includes by the phenomenal revered voice of Late Shri Birendra Krishna Bhadra. His iconic recitation of “Chandipath” in Sanskrit hymn to Goddess Durga is still a deep-rooted tradition and a cultural touchstone for millions of Bengalis worldwide. His recitation has become synonymous with the festival, evoking devotion and nostalgia for generations as well as the start of the Durga Puja festival.
During the one week long festive Durga-Puja days (Maha-Shashti, Maha-Saptami, Maha-Astami, Maha Navami & Vijaya-Dasami which also celebrated widely as “TIKA”), Pandal Hopping (communities erect elaborate decorative structures called pandals, Durga-Pratima with “Daker-Saaj” (ornaments made with Jute fibers and used to bring by post traditionally), organize cultural programs, and share communal feasts),
During the five (5) days of Durga puja from morning to night we used to hear traditional devotional songs which enhance the atmosphere of devotion. From ancient times, the festival of Durga puja in temple’s and mandir’s are celebrated with traditional gaiety and rituals where the idol of Maa Durga is already established but in case of Pandals of the community puja organized by clubs/organizations usually Maa Durga idols (Durga-Pratima) is usually brought from “Kumartuli” (a place where Durga Pratima is built with clay, straw on a bamboo based structure) on the auspicious day of “Mahalaya” and “Chakhhudaan” (eye opening of Maa Durga) is being done on “Maha-Panchami” evening while in the evening of “Maha-Shashti”, the foundations of “Durga-Puja” with the installations of 9/12 “Clay-Pots” filled with holy water and covered with mango-leaf’s and a holy piece of cloth is kept. All the Clay-pots are tied together with a holy threat with the all-family members of Maa-Durga till Vijaya-Dashami”. The entire process is known as “Bodhon” (the traditional grand opening of Durga-Puja).
In the morning of “Maha-Saptami”, the primary attractions are bringing “Naba-Patrika” (which is a new banana tree and regarded as wife of lord Ganesh) after conducting “Holi-Snan” in Ganges or nearby rivers and kept just beside lord Ganesh followed by worshipping Maa-Durga and Puspanjali. “Maha-Ashtami & Maha-Navami” is the main attractions of the Durga-Puja and in this two days “Puspanjali” (worshipping Maa Durga with flowerily tribute consisting of Lotus, Shiuli, Bell leaves, Hibiscus and many more) followed by eating “Maha-Bhog” (Anno-Prasad) with all family members/friends who clubbed together in home at least for this festival irrespective of their busy schedule or in puja holidays) while in the evenings of Maha-Ashtami & Maha-Navami, Dhunuchi Dance (dance with incense burners in front of Maa-Durga) is performed in front of Maa-Durga.
In the traditional temples and mandir’s usually priests are performing this while in Pandals; the dance is enjoyed by the young women in sarees and also young children. In Vijayadashami, married women participate in “Sindoor Khela” and applying vermilion to each other after “Devi Baran” (applying vermilion to Maa-Durga and offering sweets to all the members of Maa-Durga family which include Saraswati, Kartik, Ganesha, Lakshmi, Mahishasura and lord Shiva). The festival culminates with the Visarjan in the evening where Maa Durga and her family members are picked up from the Pandals and kept in a truck. The truck started to proceed towards river (in Kolkata towards Ganges) while in front of the truck young women, men and children walking slowly with traditional attire, singing songs of their choices in a procession called “Shova-Jatra” and ultimately, the immersion of Durga’s idol in a body of water, symbolizing her return to her heavenly abode as well as with the hope she will return with her family in the next year (Asche Bacchar Abar Hobe). In 2021, Kolkata’s Durga Puja was inscribed on the UNESCO list of intangible cultural heritage, acknowledging its global appeal.
Durga Puja at Belur Math (Ramakrishna Math & Mission established by Swami Vivekananda) follows an established ritualistic calendar, featuring events like the Bodhan (invocation) in the evening of Maha-Shashti, Kalparambha (initiation) in the morning of Maha-Saptami, Kumari Puja in Maha-Ashtami (a baby girl chosen at least one month before puja and trained accordingly by the mission and finally worship her on this day assuming Maa-Durga) and the important Sandhi Puja (connecting between two important days of Puja) in Maha-Navami, including Homa.
Vijaya-Dashami puja is the final day in the morning and after “Ghot-Visarjon”, the final ritual is to see the “Reflected Face of Maa-Durga” in a brass-pot containing holy puja water (Maha-Saptami to Vijaya Dasami with flowers like hibiscus, shuili, and bell-leafs) followed by final Visarjan (immersion) of the Maa-Durga Idol in Ganges.
In our Nepali community, after the “Devi-Visarjan” the most important custom is to receive blessings and love from our elders. This is an age old traditional custom where younger ones are receiving not only blessings from elders but also elders used to give various gifts, money followed by enjoying together with traditional foods (widely known as “Tika”). During this process, elders placing a red vermilion, yogurt, and rice mixture as well as jamara (barley sprouts) on the foreheads of younger relatives, accompanied by blessings and gifts of money. Tika continues from Vijaya-Dasami to Purnima (a span of 4 days). This practice symbolizes the victory of good over evil and is a central part of the Dashain festival, representing a family’s blessing for prosperity and a stronger future for the younger generation.
In Hindu mythology, goddess Durga is considered the supreme divine feminine power, the mother goddess who embodies the protective and nurturing aspects of the divine. She is believed to be the combined power of all the gods, summoned to defeat the powerful buffalo demon Mahishasura who was terrorizing the gods and the world. Maa Durga is often depicted as a warrior goddess, riding a lion or tiger and wielding an array of weapons to vanquish evil and restore balance and order. She is shown with multiple arms, each holding a different divine implement, symbolizing her omnipotence and ability to take on multiple tasks simultaneously. Beyond her warrior aspect, Durga Maa is revered as the embodiment of motherly love, protection, and nurturing. She is seen as the mother of the universe, the divine creative force that sustains all life. Her ability to vanquish evil and protect the righteous makes her a source of strength, courage, and inspiration for her devotees. Durga is also known by many other revered names (in Sanskrit it is called “rupeno”), such as Devi, Adi Shakti, Ambika, Chamunde, Jagadamba, Jagatdhatri, Kalratri, Katyani, Maha-Gouri, Mahishasuramardini, “Matree rupeno sangsthitha” and many more. Each of these names highlights a different aspect of her multifaceted nature and divine attributes.
Bhaskar Chakraborty
Professor of Chemistry
Sikkim Government College (NBBGC)
An Extension Centre of Sikkim University for PG Studies in Chemistry
Tadong, Gangtok
