Durga Puja

The ceremonial worship of the mother goddess, is one of the most important festivals of Odisha. This is celebrated all parts of the state. Apart from being a religious festival for the Hindus, it is also an occasion for reunion and rejuvenation, and a celebration of traditional culture and customs.It is celebrated in the month of Ashwin or Kartik. While the rituals entail ten days(Navaratri) of fast, feast and worship, the last four days (Saptami, Ashtami, Navami and Dashami) are celebrated with much gaiety and grandeur. The streets and lighted up and Pandals are decorated to set the spirit of festivity among the people

It is not just maa Durga who is worshiped, but also lord Shiva is worshiped who is Durga’s consort. Durga is a form of Parvat. Along with Lakshmi and also Saraswati, Ganesha and also Kartikeya are also worshipped. Earlier, the festival was celebrated by worshipping plants of nine different types. These plants are said to be the nine divine forms of Durga Ma and is called as Kala Bou. But in contemporary traditions, setting up of magnificent pandals and beautifully sculpted idols also has become an important part of Durga Puja.

According to mythology, Mahishasura, who was a demon, after years of worship and penance finally got the opportunity to request Brahma of a boon. The boon was that no man, human or a deity will be able to kill him. After this boon, Mahishasura swelled with pride and being invincible, he took disadvantage of his powers and started spreading terror and damage. He transformed into a strong and unbeatable buffalo demon and had killed thousands of innocent people. He soon started attacking Gods as well. To put an end to this, the three most important deities of Vishnu, Shankar and even Brahma with other Gods combined all their power and energies to give birth to Durga. Durga has ten hands an each of her hands is a representation of the power she has and it is with these powers that Durga killed Mahishasura. The day she vanquished this demon is today known as Mahishasura mardini.

The festival is celebrated by people exchanging greetings and homemade sweets to family and loved ones. you will see people decked up in new traditional outfits. Though Durga puja is a Hindu festival, people from all faiths come together to celebrate this festival or at least be a part of this. It truly is a great sight to watch people from different sights and faiths enjoy this beautiful festival to the hilt.