Durga Puja festival marks the victory of goddess Durga in her battle against the evil force of buffalo — Mahishasura. That is why this festival is also accepted as the triumph of good over evil. Durga Puja is also known as Durgotsav or Durga festival.
It is celebrated for five days and those are named as Shashthi, Saptami, Ashtami, Navami and Vijaya Dashami. The dates of celebrating Durga Puja are fixed according to the traditional Hindu calendar.
Celebrated in other places of the country
It is particularly popular in the Indian states of West Bengal, Assam, Bihar,Tripura and Odisha, the neighbouring Bangladesh and the diaspora from this region. It is also celebrated with much fervor in Nepal where it is called Dashain.
It is not only the biggest Hindu festival, but it is also the most important social-cultural festival in Bengali Hindu society. Apart from this, the festival of Durga Puja is also celebrated with full enthusiasm in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Punjab, Kashmir, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala.
Durga Puja is also celebrated abroad
Durga Puja is also celebrated in several countries including the United States of America, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, France, Netherlands, Singapore, Kuwait and United Arab Emirates.
The festival is an old tradition of Hinduism, though it is unclear how and in which century the festival actually began. Available manuscripts of the 14th century provide guidelines for Durga Puja, while historical records suggest royalty and wealthy families were sponsoring major Durga puja festivities since at least the 16th century.
The Durga puja rose to prominence during the British Raj in the provinces of Bengal and Assam. In the contemporary era, the importance of Durga Puja is as much a social festival as a religious one wherever it is observed.
PNN/Agencies