Duraga Puja Festival in India
Durga Puja is a Hindu celebration of the Mother Goddess and the victory of the revered warrior Goddess Durga over the evil buffalo
demon Mahishasura. The festival honors the powerful female force (shakti) in the Universe
Durga Puja, major festival of Hinduism, traditionally held for 10 days in the month of Ashvina (September–October), the seventh month
of the Hindu calendar. It is particularly celebrated in the state of West Bengal in Kolkata in the honour of celebrating the unfathomable power
of Goddess Durga.. Durga Puja celebrates the victory of the goddess Durga over the demon king Mahishasura. It begins on the same day as
Navratri, a nine-night festival celebrating the divine feminine.
Durga Puja’s first day is Mahalaya, which heralds the advent of the goddess. Celebrations and worship begin on Sasthi, the sixth
day. During the following three days, the goddess is worshipped in her various forms as Durga, Lakshmi, and Sarasvati. The celebrations end
with Vijaya Dashami (“Tenth Day of Victory” ), when, amid loud chants and drumbeats, idols are carried in huge processions to local rivers,
where they are immersed. That custom is symbolic of the departure of the deity to her home and to her husband, Shiva, in the Himalayas. Images
of the goddess—astride a lion, attacking the demon king Mahishasura—are placed at various pandals (elaborately decorated bamboo structures and
galleries) and temples
