Durga Puja Festival 2022
Durga Puja— the ceremonial worship of the mother goddess, is one of the most important festivals in India. 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. While the rituals entail ten days of fast, feast, and worship, the last four days—Saptami, Ashtami, Navami, and Dashami—are celebrated with much gaiety and grandeur in India and abroad, especially in Bengal, where the ten-armed goddess riding the lion is worshipped with great passion and devotion.
Rama’s ‘Akal Bodhan’
Durga Puja is celebrated every year in the Hindu month of Ashwin (September-October) and commemorates Prince Rama’s invocation of the goddess before going to war with the demon king Ravana. This autumnal ritual was different from the conventional Durga Puja, which is usually celebrated in the springtime. So, this Puja is also known as ‘akal-bodhan’ or out-of-season (‘akal’) worship (‘bodhan’). Thus goes the story of Lord Rama, who first worshipped the ‘Mahishasura Mardini’ or the slayer of the buffalo demon, by offering 108 blue lotuses and lighting 108 lamps, at this time of the year.
Origin and History
The first grand worship of Goddess Durga in recorded history is said to have been celebrated in the late 1500s. Folklores say the landlords, or zamindar, of Dinajpur and Malda, initiated the first Durga Puja in Bengal. According to another source, Raja Kangshanarayan of Taherpur or Bhabananda Mazumdar of Nadiya organized the first Sharadiya or Autumn Durga Puja in Bengal in c. 1606.
The origin of the community puja can be credited to the twelve friends of Guptipara in Hoogly, West Bengal, who collaborated and collected contributions from local residents to conduct the first community puja called the ‘baro-yaari’ puja, or the ‘twelve-pal’ puja, in 1790. The baro-yaari puja was brought to Kolkata in 1832 by Raja Harinath of Cossimbazar, who performed the Durga Puja at his ancestral home in Murshidabad from 1824 to 1831, notes Somendra Chandra Nandy in ‘Durga Puja: A Rational Approach’ published in The Statesman Festival, 1991.
“The baro-yaari puja gave way to the sarbajanin or community puja in 1910, when the Sanatan Dharmotsahini Sabha organized the first truly community puja in Baghbazar in Kolkata with full public contribution, public control, and public participation. Now the dominant mode of Bengali Durga Puja is the ‘public’ version,” write M. D. Muthukumaraswamy and Molly Kaushal in Folklore, Public Sphere, and Civil Society. The institution of the community Durga Puja in the 18th and 19th century Bengal contributed vigorously to the development of Hindu Bengali culture.
Durga Puja is one of the biggest festivals in the state of India that is celebrated with great enthusiasm and grandeur. Durga Puja is particularly a significant festival of West Bengal, However people in the state of Odisha, Tripura, Bihar, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, and Gujarat also celebrate it with great enthusiasm. It is another festival that depicts the triumph of good over bad as it celebrates the victory of goddess Durga over Mahishasura, the buffalo demon.
For Bangalis, it is a six days long festival celebration that is been observed as Mahalaya, Shashthi, Maha Saptami, Maha Ashtami, Maha Nabami, and Vijayadashami. So now it’s time again for every Indian to start their preparations for this 6-day long Durga Puja 2022 that will be celebrated to welcome Maa Durga at our doorstep after her battle with Mahishasura, the buffalo demon.
DURGA POOJA 2022 Dates
Durga Puja is celebrated on the last day of Navaratri. The festival begins on Shasthi and ends on Dashami when the idol of Maa Durga is immersed into the rivers or any other water bodies for showing her respect and devotion.
Durga Puja 2022 – This year, the festival will be celebrated from 1st October to 5th October.
Mahalaya 2022 – It will be celebrated on the 14th of October in 2022. This is also one of the important dates of Durga Puja when people invite Goddess Durga on the Earth and on her idol, eyes are drawn.
IMPORTANT DATES OF DURGA PUJA
The celebration of the Durga Puja festival occurs during five consecutive days including “Saptami”, “Shasthi”, “Ashtami”, “Navami” and “Dashami”.
Shasthi – 1st of October 2022
On this day, it is believed that Goddess Durga descends on the earth with her four children including Ganesha, Kartikeya, Lakshmi, and Saraswati. And, overwhelmingly on this day, the beautiful idols of Maa Dura are opened for people to look through.
Saptami – 2nd of October 2022
On this day, Goddess Durga’s idol is said to have been invoked with life by the ritual of Pran Pratisthan. A Banana tree is made to get dressed in a sari and bathed in a river like a newly wedded bride and the process is called “Kola Bou”. This is used to transport the energy of Goddess Durga.
Ashtami – 3rd of October 2022
On this day, Goddess Durga is worshipped as a young virgin girl in a ritual called Kumari Puja. Sandhi Puja is performed in the evening to worship the Chamunda form of Goddess Durga who is supposed to have slain buffalo demon Mahisasur. The Puja on this day generally takes place at the time when the killing of Mahisasur took place.
Navami – 4th of October 2022
This is the last day of the festival when a Maha Aarati is organized to mark the conclusion of the festival. Everyone wears new clothes and gets reveled in the festival celebration to the fullest.
Dashami – 5th October 2022
On this day the idols of Maa Durga are moved from their place for immersion in the river and she is believed to return to the abode of her husband. After the process of immersion is over, people enjoy delicious dinner and sweets.
Also Read: 8 Durga Puja Pandals In Gurgaon