Basic structure
Durga puja (Bengali:দূর্গা পূজা,),‘Worship of Durga’), also referred to as Durgotsava.
Durga Puja festival marks the victory of Goddess Durga over the evil buffalo demon Mahishasura.Durga Puja is widely celebrated in the Indian states of Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa, Tripura and West Bengal.
Somewhere inside these complex edifices is a stage on which Durga reigns, standing on her lion mount, wielding ten weapons in her ten hands. This is the religious center of the festivities
The word pandal means a temporary structure, made of bamboo and cloth, which is used as a temporary temple for the purpose of the puja.
Creation of the idols
The entire process of creation of the idols (murti) from the collection of clay to the ornamentation is a holy process,
supervised by rites and other rituals.
On the Hindu date of Akshaya Tritiya when the Ratha Yatra is held,
clay for the idols is collected from the banks of a river, preferably the Ganges (Hooghly in Calcutta/Kolkata).
There is age-old custom of collecting a handful of soil (punya mati) from the nishiddho pallis of Calcutta,
literally ‘forbidden territories’, where sex workers live, and adding it to the clay mixture which goes into the making
of the Durga idol.After the required rites, the clay is transported from which the idols are fashioned.
An important event is 'Chakkhu Daan', literally donation of the eyes.
Starting with Devi Durga, the eyes of the idols are painted on Mahalaya or the first day of the Pujas.
Before painting on the eyes, the artisans fast for a day and eat only vegetarian food.
Goddess Durga Rides a Lion and vengeance to kill a demon residing in city of Mysore ,named after Mahishasur,
the very demon which was slain by the Goddess.The original Indian name was Mahishur. Along with these central statues, Idols are also made of other Gods and Goddesses.
As it also includes the worship of Shiva, who is Durga's consort (Durga is an aspect of Goddess Parvati),
in addition to Lakshmi, Saraswati with Ganesha and Kartikeya, who are considered to be Durga's children are crafted.
Worship of mother nature is also done, through nine types of plant (called "Kala Bou"),
including a plantain (banana) tree, which represent nine divine forms of Goddess Durga.
Basic structure
Durga puja (Bengali:দূর্গা পূজা,),‘Worship of Durga’), also referred to as Durgotsava.
Durga Puja festival marks the victory of Goddess Durga over the evil buffalo demon Mahishasura.Durga Puja is widely celebrated in the Indian states of Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa, Tripura and West Bengal.
Somewhere inside these complex edifices is a stage on which Durga reigns, standing on her lion mount, wielding ten weapons in her ten hands. This is the religious center of the festivities
The word pandal means a temporary structure, made of bamboo and cloth, which is used as a temporary temple for the purpose of the puja.
Creation of the idols
The entire process of creation of the idols (murti) from the collection of clay to the ornamentation is a holy process,
supervised by rites and other rituals.
On the Hindu date of Akshaya Tritiya when the Ratha Yatra is held,
clay for the idols is collected from the banks of a river, preferably the Ganges (Hooghly in Calcutta/Kolkata).
There is age-old custom of collecting a handful of soil (punya mati) from the nishiddho pallis of Calcutta,
literally ‘forbidden territories’, where sex workers live, and adding it to the clay mixture which goes into the making
of the Durga idol.After the required rites, the clay is transported from which the idols are fashioned.
An important event is 'Chakkhu Daan', literally donation of the eyes.
Starting with Devi Durga, the eyes of the idols are painted on Mahalaya or the first day of the Pujas.
Before painting on the eyes, the artisans fast for a day and eat only vegetarian food.
Goddess Durga Rides a Lion and vengeance to kill a demon residing in city of Mysore ,named after Mahishasur,
the very demon which was slain by the Goddess.The original Indian name was Mahishur. Along with these central statues, Idols are also made of other Gods and Goddesses.
As it also includes the worship of Shiva, who is Durga's consort (Durga is an aspect of Goddess Parvati),
in addition to Lakshmi, Saraswati with Ganesha and Kartikeya, who are considered to be Durga's children are crafted.
Worship of mother nature is also done, through nine types of plant (called "Kala Bou"),
including a plantain (banana) tree, which represent nine divine forms of Goddess Durga.