September Festivals

Durga Puja

This nine-day festival of the Hindus is celebrated in the month of Ashvina in Bengal. It marks the victory of Goddess Durga over the buffalo demon Mahishasura after a long battle, signifying the victory of good over evil. This period is celebrated as Navratri in other parts of India.

Myth I

According to Markandeya Purana and Devi Purana, Mahishasura was a buffalo demon. After severe penance lasting many years, he procured a boon from Brahma granting that he would not be slain by Gods, men, spirits or any aspect of nature. Convinced that he was invincible, he tyrannised the entire world, vanquished the Gods and ruled in their place. The Gods appealed to Shiva for help. He suggested that the three great Gods, Brahma, Vishnu and himself should combine their energies to create a woman. She would be powerful enough to vanquish the demon, as he had foolishly forgotten the name women while asking for the boon. The three Gods then combined the energies to create Durga, a beautiful woman with 18 arms. Her eyes shone like sun rays and her smile was as cool as moon. Each God presented her with his special weapon and a lion was to be her vehicle.

When Mahishasura heard of Durga’s beauty, he wished to marry her and sent across the proposal. Durga replied that she would marry him on condition that he defeat her in battle first. Enraged Mahishasura accepted the challenge and a fierce battle ensued. The demon fired a barrage of deadly arrows at her, used a variety of weapons and transformed himself into various animals to attack her. But Durga repulsed every attempt. Finally, using the discus Vishnu had given her, she sliced off his head. Flowers rained on the Goddess as Gods rejoiced. Then Shiva declared that the ninth day of the bright half of the month of Ashvina would be celebrated as the great day of victory over evil.

According to a belief, Durga comes to earth, her parental home, during this time. She arrives on the sixth day of the month and returns to the heavenly abode on the 10th day. For the four days that she is here, she is given a grand welcome.

Preparations for this festival begin many months in advance. Local artisans are involved in making beautiful clay images of the Goddess. Traditionally the images are carved out of white Indian cork. The idol is then adorned in a traditional red sari and ornaments. Chadmala, a garland of white lotus-like flowers made using white cork, is an essential adornment.

Celebrations for this festival is a community affair and almost every colony or locality in Bengal erect tents for the grand puja. Artisans dole out all their artistic and creative talents to create beautiful tents.

On the first day of the festival, hymns are recited to invoke the Goddess in the heavens. This special recital is known as Mahalaya. The next five days are spent preparing for the grand yearly visit of Ma or mother as Durga is affectionately called in Bengal. Sixth day, known as Mahashashti, the idol of the Goddess is placed on a raised platform in a previously erected enclosure. The Goddess is also believed to arrive on the same day, accompanied by her children Ganesha, Kartikeya, Lakshmi and Saraswati. The priest ceremoniously establishes life in the clay image and from now on till the tenth day, the image is treated as the Goddess herself. It is obligatory for all worshippers to clean their houses, take a purificatory bath and offer prayers to the Goddess adorned in new clothes.

Many devotees also observe a fast on this day and break the fast after the evening aarti.

For the next three days, devotees come in thousands for darshan of the Goddess. Every morning flowers are offered to the Goddess. Between the eight and the ninth day, Sandhi Puja is performed in which animals are sacrificed in honour of the Goddess in many places in Bengal. The ninth day is considered doubly auspicious as the Goddess is believed to have been conceived and sent to earth by the Gods on this day. The tenth day or Vijayadashmi is a day of both joy or sorrow. It was on this day that the Goddess slew the demon and rid the earth of his devil, but it is also the day when she returns home. The idol of the Goddess is taken to a river and immersed in water.

Before the idol is lifted from its home, the priest symbolically immerses the idol, by capturing its reflection in a bowl of water. This is known as darpan visarjan or mirror immersion. Married women now take their last darshan of the Goddess. They use the huge amount of specially consecrated sindoora lying around the Goddess to anoint the head and the forehead of their married friends and relatives. This is believed to grant long life to their husbands.

Hartalika Teej

The festival of Teej celebrates the onset of the monsoon in the month of Shravana, after the long and arduous summer. The day commemorates the event of Parvati leaving the home of her parents as a bride and Shiva coming to fetch her. This festival is extremely popular among women in North India.

Married women come to their parents home to celebrate the festival. It is an occasion for them to sing, dance and make merry. Songs in praise of Parvati, whose devotion to her husband is exemplary, are popularly sung. Special swings are hung on tree branches and the women swing on them. They fast to rededicate themselves to their husbands and family. It is believed that by praying to Goddess Parvati, marital bliss is bestowed upon oneself. Usually a fair is organised on this occasion.

After a ceremonial worship at home, an image of Parvati clad in red and gold, on a palanquin is taken out in a procession, representative of her marriage procession. Several elephants, camels and dancers accompany the idol.

Teej is also observed in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Maharashtra as Hartalika Teej. This is a three-day festival celebrated by women also in honour of Parvati in the month of Bhadrapad. By praying to Parvati on these three days, unmarried girls hope to get a husband like Shiva.

Myth I

According to a Mythology, Parvati was in love with Shiva. Being an ascetic however, Shiva was not aware of her. Parvati performed penance on the Himalayas for many years before Shiva finally noticed her. Realising the depth of her love and devotion, he agreed to marry her. Since then Parvati has been worshipped as Hartalika.

Women and girls maintain nirjala vrata on these three days and keep awake all three nights. This is symbolic of the penance which Parvati undertook to get Shiva as her husband. They offer food to Brahmins and young girls.

In Maharashtra, women wear green bangles, green clothes, golden bindis and kajals to signify their luck. They offer fresh fruits and green vegetables to the Goddess as thanksgiving. When the rituals are over, they eat a feast of jaggery and rice patolis stemmed in banana leaves, a sweet made from coconut milk and rice and mixed vegetables cooked with spices and coconut milk. Tender coconut water is the treat of the day.

For the rural women, this is the time to pamper oneself by wearing bangles, bindis, necklaces.

Dusshera

This Hindu festival also known as Vijayadashmi, celebrated on the tenth day of this bright fortnight in the month of Ashvin, celebrates the victory of good over evil. Effigies of the demon king Ravana, his son of Meghnatha, and his brother Kumbhkarna are burnt amidst shouts of joy.

Myth I

According to Ramayana, Rama was the exiled prince of Ayodhya. While living in the forest his wife Sita was abducted by Ravana, the demon king of Lanka. Rama assisted by an army of monkeys, attacked Lanka to rescue her. A fierce battle ensued between the two armies for many days as it was proving very difficult to beat the mighty Ravana. Rama then prayed for nine days to nine different aspects of Durga and accumulated enough strength to defeat Ravana.

The Hindus relive the defeat of Ravana during Dusshera. Ramlila a dance-drama narrating the story of Rama’s life according to the Ramayana, is enacted for the nine days preceding Dusshera. Almost every area stages its own version of the play, preparations for which take place many days in advance. Traditionally only men participated in the Ramlila, enacting the women’s character also. Today, however, women in urban areas also participate.

The tenth day marks the end of these Ramlilas when the final act of this drama is staged. Huge effigies, sometimes almost 100 ft high of Ravana, his son and brother are made many days in advance, using coloured paper and hay. They are also stuffed with crackers. At the appointed time, a person dressed as Rama shoots flaming arrows at the effigies which start to burn. Shouts of ‘Jai Shri Rama’ resound.

The town of Kullu witnesses unique Dusshera celebrations. Since the times of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, Dusshera celebrations here begin three days after they do in the rest of India. This was so because the Maharaja expected all the kings under his tutelage to be present at Kullu for celebration. The rulers with their retinues would leave their kingdoms immediately after the celebrations there ended and speed back to Kullu. Since it took them three days to reach, this practice was established and has continued ever since.

Instead of burning the effigies of the demons - five animals - a rooster, a fish, a lamb, a crab and a buffalo - are sacrificed here and pile of wood is burnt seven days to symbolise the victory of good over evil.

Village deities from all around are brought to Kullu in palanqins for this celebration. The procession is led by musicians and Nati dancers. It is believed that many Gods and Goddesses reside in and around Kullu and they all come together during this annual reunion. A large fair is also organised on this occasion.

In Mysore, Dusshera is a royal celebration. It celebrates Durga’s triumph over the demon Mahishasura. The demon is believed to come from the city of Mysore and therefore it is the most affected by this event. Celebrations to mark his death are observed on a grand scale. The venue is the Chamundi Hill, at the temple of Durga, who is also the family deity of the royal family. A regal procession of decorated elephants, courtiers and court symbols wends it circuitous way to the temple, decorated splendidly for the festival. On reaching the temple, prayers are offered to the Goddess. This event attracts many tourists from India and abroad. With the decline of the royal family of Mysore however, this festival has lost some of its traditional lustre.