Durga Puja- The Ultimate Guide to the Most Famous Festival in Kolkata

There are so many festivals to celebrate in India. I mean if you google “festivals in India” like right now, you would find various articles with a list of festivals in India. I literally did not know most of them. Every state has its own most favourite festival to celebrate. For a Bengali, it is 110% Durga Puja.

Now even though I am a Bengali myself, but I have only been to Durga Puja in the places that I was in during that time. Never in West Bengal. But, this year is different. Due to COVID-19, I am working from home these days. And when I say home, I am in West Bengal. This is the first time that I got to see this festival from start till end.

History of Durga Puja

Before I get into all the fun and various rituals that take place, let me tell you about the history of this festival. There are a few different variations of how Goddess Durga came to be but why this festival is celebrated is the same.

So here goes the story behind (as told by my parents).

Durga embarks on her journey to go to her natal home. The demon king, Mahishasura raged war against the Gods and was causing havoc over all the three realms- Earth, Heaven and Netherlands. It was up to Goddess Durga to slay him and put an end to his destruction. On her way back to her marital home on the 10^th day, Durga slays the demon king.

In the end, we celebrate the victory of good over evil in this festival. 

Maa Durga idol

Durga is depicted as someone who has 10 hands. Each holding a weapon granted by various Gods to fight the demon king. 

Her idol is mostly accompanied by Lakshmi (the goddess of wealth), Saraswati (the goddess of knowledge), Ganesha (the god of good beginnings) and Kartikeya (the god of war). In some traditions, these gods and goddesses are children of Durga. She mostly sits on a Lion/Lioness, who is her vehicle.

Durga Puja Pandals

To hold the Puja and worship the idol, there are hundreds and hundreds of pandals across. With such a huge variety of themes. And when I say huge, I literally mean HUGE.

If you just google right now, “Durga Puja pandals”, the gallery will just amaze you. From ISRO to global warming to Taj Mahal to even Jurassic Park. There is even a competition of the grandest pandal.

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It is just a HUGE varied list.

Rituals

Day 1 – Inauguration

It is a huge day for everyone. The idols are placed in the pandal for a few days but they are all covered with a sheet. 

Day 2-Day 5

These days are quite silent as compared to the rest of the days. People do visit the pandals but no specific ritual or any puja takes place on these 4 days.

Day 6- Shashti

This is THE actual day that the Durga Puja starts. On this day, the sheet is removed and the idol is revealed to the public. It symbolizes Maa Durga coming to her house. Many pandals even organize for dhak (Bengali musical instrument) players to play during this auspicious time. 

People start wearing new clothes from today onwards. My mother literally has been planning and buying clothes for the past month to decide which one to wear on each day and night.

Day 7- Maha Saptami

It is the start of rituals today. 2 rituals take place- Pushpanjali and Kola Bou Snan. Pushpanjali is simply offering flower garland to the goddess. For Kola Bou Snan, a banana tree with 8 leaves is bathed. The banana tree symbolises the consort of Lord Ganesha. 

Even though Durga Puja festivities are all enjoyed with non-vegetarian food but today, it is a special day where everyone is to eat vegetarian food which is the bhog given to the goddess.

Day 8- Maha Ashtami

Considered to be one of the 2 main days of Durga Puja, today we have Kumari Puja and Shandhi Puja. Kumari Puja is celebrated by worshipping young girls. She depicts the younger form of the goddess. 

Shandhi Puja is one of the grandest rituals. It symbolizes the end of the eighth day and start of the ninth day. For this, a hundred and eight diyas are lighted. And of course, the famous Dhunuchi naach. If you enjoy fire shows, then this is another sort of that performance. Performers hold a Dhunuchi in both hands and even one by mouth that contains burning coconut husk and sprinkles of dhuno. It is a really wonderful sight.

Day 9- Maha Navami

The second most important day of the festival. Usually on this day various artists perform such as dancers and singers. And of course, dhunuchi dance. But this year it was very different. Due to Covid-19, no such performances were oeganized as to avoid crowd. Good measure.

Day 10- Vijay Dashami

It is time to say goodbye to our beloved goddess as she is to return to her marital home. On this day, the idol is taken to a nearby river or even a pond or just any water body to immerse it. That’s the Visarjan. But before that, we have another ritual left- Sindoor Khela. Married women apply sindoor to fellow married women. It feels similar to Holi, but not everyone can participate in this ritual.

The idol is loaded on a tempo with devotees all joining in and holding it up. Rest of the people march on foot to follow the car with colours and music and chanting the whole way. In the end, the pandit performs Visarjan puja on the shore and slowly, the idol is immersed in the water. 

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Day 11

Well, there is no 11^th day. The last 4 days were so happening and exciting that all of a sudden everything seems to come to an end. To be more precise, everyone is sad now that Durga Puja is over and get ready to welcome the next festival, Kali Puja (or you might know this as Diwali).

Tips and things to remember

• All the roads are blocked. I mean for vehicles. Only people on foot are allowed. So, leave your vehicles at home and explore the area on foot and enjoy pandal hopping.
• If you find a queue to see the Durga idol, I would say, move on. I am damn sure you will find another pandal in about 5 minutes with no queue.
• Do NOT miss out on trying the local street food. I have a few mentioned here in my list of top foods to try when in Kolkata.

PS: As I already told, there are quite many variations to the story behind Durga Puja. Mine was not the one which you had been told or knew. But no offence to anyone. This is just my version of what I knew from my parents.