Durga Puja observed in Aashin or Ashwin month (September – October) is one of the most popular Hindu festivals. Durga Puja 2010 begins on October 7 with Mahalaya. Durga Puja rituals and celebrations begin on October 13, 2010 with Durga Sashti. Durga Puja is the biggest festival in West Bengal and eastern parts of India Bengal , she is worshipped as Shiva’s consort and is given the warmest welcome a married daughter can receive when she comes home. Traditionally Durga Puja begins on the Mahalaya day in Ashwin month.
Mahalaya – October 7, 2010Durga Puja Shasti – October 13, 2010
Maha Saptami – October 14, 2010
Durga Ashtami – October 15, 2010
Durga Navami or Maha Nabami – October 16, 2010
Dashami – October 17, 2010
On the Shashti day, Kalash is prepared and it is kept in the house and with it begins rituals and celebrations.
The most auspicious day of the Durga Puja festival is the Maha Ashtami and the Maha Navami.
29 comments:
hi,
This is Arnab and am a bengali(which am proud off)..I can say that Durga Puja is one of the biggest festival of India.Its not because am a bong i'm saying this..But its the fact.The emotions,madness,happiness,love and excitement associated with this festival is simply unbelievable.I can well understand that you non-bengalees(people ouside bengal) can't actually feel it.To believe it you have to step into Kolkata during the time of Puja...I can assure you it will leave you spellbound..You will really enjoy it...This is a time when people and families unite after long time..People who are staying out of Bengal know the pain of missing it...I guess this year i'll be one of them..But,still being in B'lore I will make sure that I enjoy as much as possible..(though it can't be a mere 10% of Kolkata celebrations....)....
Hi arnab,
Durga puja is an equally big puja in many places outside kolkata as well...In Ranchi the fervour is more than kolkata.....even in places like patna/darbhanga it is the biggest festival for many....so before you say so much about kolkata's puja....you better check out the facts....coz as a bengali myself I have seen kolkata's puja as well as in other parts of india ....
I tend to agree with Arnab though. I am sure Durga Pujo is celebrated with a lot of fervor in many parts of India. I can say for certain that it can not really match what unveils in Kolkata on the 4 days of Pujo.
hi everybody ...
Like Arnob and many other ....m proud to be a bengali and I am too emotionally attached with Durga puja .... I am a bengali who has never seen any Durga Puja in any other parts of the country except Kolkata ... I live here ... work here ... enjoy here and look forward to durga puja !!! At time I get so obsessed with the coundown of the puja days that I give by sister a rally hard time :o) For me puja is the smell of " Chatim phul ( a special type of flower )" , pandal hopping , Phuchka ...ballon shooting ...the madness and happiness in people's face and to be with close family & my best freind Sumaali :o) Its fun , its mad ...though its mad rust at times but I love it with all my being .... U have to be here to feel it . So b in Kolkata once i your life time to feel the true essence of Puja ....Happy Puja to all .
Hi all
I am from Malaysia. I am not going to brag how the festival is celebrate here (talking about the celebration in temples) as this is a Muslim country.
However putting that aside, does it matter how it is celebrate. It sounds the louder the crackers are and the longer the celebration is and the grander the procession scale...makes it greater??
I am sorry to offend but I BELIEVE it is a wrong concept as The Puja should be ones association with GOD. Of course outward celebration is nice to have but it never matters. Hindu festivals are getting more and more complex to the point of believers exhausation due to such believe.
We always have Durga Prayers at home every year without fail except for the last few years. It is the most warmest celebration and most peaceful feeling. Oh ya the prayers are conducted without any priest involvement as well.
Happy Navarathri!!
Arnab is correct, Nowhere in any part of the world and that taking into consideration other parts of West Bengal as well, the Pomp of Durga Pujo in Kolkata can be matched. With over 4000 Pujos and growing each year the place to be in during Durga Pujo is Kolkata and nowhere else.
As a bong staying outside india for 10 yrs now, I miss being in india the most during durga pujo
having said that, for the first time ever i felt a crazy fervor here in singapore. esp last year i felt a bit like how i feel when m in bbay for the celebrations. Bombay is another place where durga puja exp is simply electrifying.....(i am a bengali born and bred in bbay) this feeling of durga puja is very subjective. it all depends upon where u come from at the end of the day. the grandiose of the celebrations in kol cannot be matched with anyother place i guess in india.kol is where it all originated right? so m not surprised at all by the fact that durga puja is really happening out there. Infact, I truly applaud all the other non-bengali states in india who are making a wonderful effort to re-create the magic of the puja. The effort infact is as good as it gets! Even spore is trying is damndest. M sure it is true about places like UK, US, Australia too..so pls stop comparing kol/other states celebrations.
Sharadiya Shubeccha all of u.
Rubel dev from Bangladesh.
Saradiya Priti o Suvecha to all of you.
Please come to share the enjoy in our club Kamarthuba Prgati Sangha ( K.P.S.), Habra, North
24 Parganas, West Bengal.
Dibakar
Hi,
I am Chetan Bharadwaj, one from the Amar Durga Puja team. I am here to invite you to participate in the most unique initiative ever on the net on Ma Durga. We have a website AmarDurgaPuja.com and its totally user driven website. We want to bring Ma Durga to everyone’s home. Even to people who can’t be here during pujas. We want to make everyone feel at home and thats why this website.
Amar Durga Puja (ADP) is an attempt by FOURDY Group to take Durga Puja to the world by sharing information and photos to help everyone in experiencing the thrill of Durga Puja. To make this happen, we started http://www.amardurgapuja.com in 2009 as a photography competition which received an overwhelming response from the user of various countries like India, Bangladesh, United States, Australia, United Kingdom and many more who showed their love for the festival by submitting 1,000+ photographs within a span of 6 days – making it the largestDurga Puja gallery online. Later, this year we were also recognized by Spanish Magazine – Global Voices (www.globalvoices.org).
This is a pictorial and video website where users can submit their entire collection and make it seen to the world and also share them. we want to make it a hub which everyone can cherish for life.
Do visit and make urself a part of this greatest initiative ever.
our website address is-
http://www.amardurgapuja.com/
And our facebook page address is-
http://www.facebook.com/amardurgapuja
Hope to see u participating & contributing soon. Do not forget to tell about this to your friends too.
Take Care,
Be well,
Chetan Bharadwaj
For,
Amar Durga Puja team
FOURDY Group
who can tell me the durga pujo venues in singapore... I have relocated here this month... early waiting for oct12.
I am a Bengali and live in San Francisco. I really miss Kolkata, especially during Durga Puja. For me, it is not about the religious stuff but the Dhaker awaaz, Aarti r atmosphere, Shindor Khela, Pandal Hopping. I am sure all Bengalis living abroad share my views!!!
hi veryone,im Reshmi.im 4m coimbatore.im a probashi bong.bt ilove d madness&excitement associated wid dis puja.i will definately miss dis fun since im staying in south india.shradiya shubeecha to every one.
happy sharadiya shubbecha,Reshmi
Hey Arnab, I agree that Kolkata's Durga Puja has a different feeling. But check out the other places in India as well. For example, I have been to Durga Pujas in Delhi, Haryana, Nasik, Gujarat, and many other places. Currently I am in Ahmedabad. Here, although the Puja is not like Kolkata, but it is excellent in several manners. For instance, in Kolkata, even though it is puja time, people have to cook food and eat at home in the afternoons. But here, in Ahmedabad, people are invited at all the Durga Puja Pandals to have bhog - free of cost!! All four days, Saptami, Ashtami, Navami, and Dashami people are allowed to eat in the pandal itself.. that adds more fun because women do not have to worry to go home and cook food....
I have relatives from Kolkata who have visited Durga Puja here, and all say that nowadays, the Durga Puja celebrated in places like Ahmedabad and Delhi is more fun and enjoyment than in Kolkata............... - Tuli Banerjee
I appreciate with u.......arnab........
Why are we debating on whether durga puja is celebrated with more zeal and enthusiasm in kolkata than any other places.....when it is quite true that the celebration for Durga puja is at its best in kolkata without any doubt at all.....for me i really have no time to visit the pandals at my "para" to enjoy the BHOG-prosaad (unfortunately) as I keep on pandal hopping thru-out these 4 days....oh gosh....it is always a tremendous expericne every year for me.....though living in Ohio, I started missing the same.....But talking about Delhi/Ahmedabad/Ranchi etc etc...I am really so happy to learn that Durga Puja is celebrated in its full motion across all these places....It is ONE-INDIA and it is Durga puja...so friends let's celebrate it in whatever ways we can...no mater where we are...let's us enjoy the celebrations to the fullest content and keep our hearts filled with love and affection towards our friends/families/ or even enemies - Joydeep Mukherjee
hi everyone can u tell me the venues where coimbatore Durga puja is celebrated so dat i too can go nd enjoy da fun.pls help
Reshmi
Hi all,
It has been just a span of three consecutive years that I have missed out the Puja in Calcutta. Even in 2007 we have had a really glorious celebration during the puja days. I want to say, I simply miss it. Miss the adda, pandal hopping, the festive spell, the fragrance of the city, the happiness all around, food (specially khichudi, labra, aloo bhaja on Ashtami)To all of you who are still there in Calcutta....ENJOY to your best of ability, dont misss out on anything people. A Very HAPPY PUJA to YOU ALL. Jai Maa.
Hi Friends,
I have seen Godess Durga Pujan in several parts of our country and I got a strong belief that wherever Hindu lives in Godess Durga must be worshiped.
We all are eagerly waiting for these auspicious days simply because we meet our kith and kins, earnest friends and enjoy throughly every beat of these days.
So wher ever we stay we pray, we convey our devotion to Godess Durga Mata.
Come and enjoy this festive season too.
From -- Ashish Acharjee
hi,
i am currently in italy...near rome...i have been in india all my life till now...its the first time i will have to be away from the festive mood....if anyone of u know about some places in rome where the festival is held,kindly let me know...i am dying to attend the pujo.. the pujo and the rituals associated with it has become a part of me now..can't live without it...so please if u can,help me...a bengali is in need..!!!
due to some personal problem i cant enjoy this puja but all you guys enjoy yourself......HAPPY DURGA PUJA 2010.
Hello.... This s Somnath... m now living in Coimbatore... This s the first time I am ever missing my Pujas in Bengal.... However i hope to visit on Nabami... I heard there is a Bengali Association in Coimbatore.... Probably going there... Hope u all enjoy out there...Happy Durga Puja 2 all of u !!!
hey Reshmi & Silky... u can hop ontu the following place to enjoy ur Pujas in Coimbatore...
S.N.V Kalyana Mandapam, Ramar koil street, Ram Nagar, Coimbatore.
Hope u enjoy....
JAI MATA DI,,shambhu(sem)patidar
AAJ HAMARI MAA JAG DAMBA MAA KA DIN AYA HE,AAJ KE DIN MAA SHER UNKO PUJATE HE,HAM BHI MAA KE SHER HE, MAA SAB KUCH KARTI HE APNE BETO KE LIYE
AUR HAM MAA BHAWANI MAA AMBA KE BETE HE TO AAJ JOR SHOR SE DIL KHOLKAR BOLO JAI MATA DI...JAI MATA DI...JAI MATA DI....SARE BOLO JAI MATA DI...
MAA DURGA RANI KI JAI HO, MAA SHAKTTI RUPENI MAA
JAGAT KALYANI TERI JAI HO,,,,,,JAI MAA,,
SHAMBHU(SEM) PATIDAR FROM BANGALORE,IN INDIA
saale bengali sab, tum log k alawa bhi bahut log puja mananewaale hain... u r not the people who w'll decide where it is famous.... apne mein khush reh lo saalon... cricket se leke har field mein tum log sirf haggte rehte ho par apne aap god like samajhte ho.....
It was heartening to read so many beautiful letters from Ma Durga Devotees from Kolcutta, Sangopore, Malysia and other parts of the world. And I am encouraged to write.
It is so wonderful to read the most beautiful letters about Ma Durga here. How much we all love the festival of Durga Puja. And no matter what part of the planet you are living, Navaratri is a special and most auspicious time of the year. We all want to offer our love and heart to Ma Durga and rejoice. And also offer grateful thanks for the human birth that we have and celebrate our human birth at this very meaningful festival.
We have been celebrating Ma Durga Puja festival for nearly forty years in Los Angeles, California, USA. When my family came here forty years ago, there was no priest and I have been priviledged and honored to humbly serve our community as a priest for the last thirty five years.
In the early seventy one, there were very few Hindus here, and we celebrated Durga Puja on a smaller scale. However,since then we were delighted to see more people from all parts of India, England, East and South Africa, Fiji come here. Now we have big Bengali community and we celebrate Ma Durga Puja festival on a grand scale. More than thousand devotees participate in the celebrations every year. We meet old friends and make new one. We also meet families visiting from India. And most wonderful and enjoyable and sporitually uplifting festival.
We also have a Oriya community( from Orissa) and for the last five years, we gather in a community center and do Ma Durga Puja here in Long Beach, a suburb of Los Angeles. About five hundred people come from San Francisco, San Diego and Palm Springs to do the Puja.
One note worthy and most important part of the fetival is that the younger generation also participates and we feel very proud to see them coming forward and do their part. We feel that our culture will live through them here in USA, when we are no more on this planet.
Vinod Dave' Hindu Priest. Los Alamitos, California, USA.
hiiiii all,
First of all "subho bijoya"!
My name is sayak n m working in delhi.It had been a very hard time for me as i missed yhe pujo... But even here in delhi the concept of Durga pujo is there and every year it gets better than the last time but honestly speaking other states n places r far behind as far as the passion of durga pujo is concerned.....so where ever bengalis are they will alwayz be in kolkata if not physically but mentaly. So cheers to all and "SUBHO BIJOYA" once again.
hey me too fond of Pujas in WB... some of u have written that durga puja is one of the big festival in India.. quite write... the way people celebrate it in WB cannot described in words.. once you watch it u will knew..
Manoj
INDORE
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