The eagerly awaited time of the year has arrived when Bengalis and Assamese wake up to the maddening beats of the dhak every morning, which help them to assume the festive aura during the ten-day long Durga Puja celebration.
Countdown to festival starts with Mahalaya, observed on the 23rd of September this year. Mahalaya also marks the end of the 'Pitri-Paksha' and is the first day of the ‘Devi-Paksha’. Goddess Durga and her children have started their journey towards earth.
Durga Puja, also referred to as Durgotsava in Bengali, is observed on six days known as Mahalaya, Shashthi, Maha Saptami, Maha Ashtami, Maha Nabami and Vijayadashami. The first day of Navaratra starts just after the Mahalaya celebration. Durga Puja will start from Panchami to be celebrated on September 29, but the ceremonies will start in the various Pandals from Saptami, October 1.
Over the last weekend organisers, pandal makers and artisans were seen praying for a weather miracle as incessant rains threatened to spoil the festivities. The weather system which formed over Bay of Bengal brought heavy showers over East and Northeast India but rain will gradually reduce.
It is thus, time to make up for the couple of days lost, particularly in West Bengal and Sikkim where rain has reduced significantly. In Assam and Meghalaya as well, rain will completely subside by 28th September.
As predicted earlier by Skymet Meteorology Division in India, rain will reduce ahead of Durga Puja and is not likely to play a spoilsport as Ma Durga will be worshipped across West Bengal and Assam. Thereafter, rain will be absolutely of short duration if at all. According to the latest weather update by Skymet, in the absence of rain, weather will be hot and humid with maximum in mid-thirties and minimums in mid-twenties.
Goddess Durga is the embodiment of ‘shakti’, she is known to be the divine feminine force governing all cosmic creation, existence and change. It is a popular belief that Durga came into existence from the collective energies of Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma, to conquer the demon Mahishasura who could not be defeated by any god or man.
In most parts of East India and Assam revelries on a grand scale are held during this time and the only way to fathom the magnitude of this festival is to witness it.
Picture courtesy- Sudip Dutta
