Durga Pujo is one of the most significant festivals of the Indian subcontinent and an important festival in the Shaktism tradition of Hinduism which has led to its celebration across the globe. The day of Mahalaya is marked by the Bengali community with Mahisasuramardini — a 90 minutes long All India Radio program — that has been popular in the Bengali community since its inception in 1931 and primarily involves Chandi Path by the ethereal Birendra Krishna Bhadra besides songs by legendary singers based on compositions by Pankaj Mullick. Primary celebrations begin on the sixth day (Shosthi), on which the goddess is welcome with rituals. The festival ends on the tenth day (Bijoya Dashami) when devotees embark on a procession carrying the worshipped clay sculpture-idols to a river, or other water body, and immerse them, symbolic of her return to the divine cosmos and her marital home with Shiva in Kailash. The primary goddess revered during Durga Pujo is Maa Durga but celebrations also include other major deities of Hinduism such as Maa Lakshmi (the goddess of wealth and prosperity), Maa Saraswati (the goddess of knowledge and music), Ganesh (the god of good beginnings), and Kartik (the god of war). My Instagram id: instagram.com/the_bongo_pola My Facebook id: facebook.com/roysaptarshi
