Late september/early October each year is marked as the time for Durga Puja festivities. The dates of the festival are determined as per the Lunar calender. Durga Puja celebrates Goddess Durga as a form of Shakti. She is revered for her graciousness and her intolerance for any wrong and unfair deed. Durga is the Mother of the Universe and is a symbol of female dynamism. Durga, in Sanskrit means "She who is incomprehensible or difficult to reach." The manifestation of Goddess Durga is said to emerge from Her formless essence and the two are inseparable.
She is also called by many other names, such as Parvati, Ambika, and Kali. In the form of Parvati, she is known as the divine spouse of Lord Shiva and is the mother of Her two sons, Ganesha and Kartikeya, and daughter Jyoti. Destroyer of demons, she is worshiped during an annual festival called Durga puja, especially popular among Bengalis.
While earlier Durga was worshiped alone, now it is, more often than not, the goddess with her family. Durga is portrayed as the supreme head; and the presence of Ganesha, Kartikeya, Shiva etc marks a wholesome picture of divinity. In southern India, celebrations constitute a display of images of God and toys at home for nine days. However varied the nature of Durga Puja celebrations, what remains common is the reverence towards Maa durga.
Durga Puja festival has now taken a larger than life form, it is an extravaganza spread over the last five days of Navratri culminating in Dussehra. Age-old conch shells and drums have given way to loud film songs and expensive Durga Puja gifts are exchanged among loved ones. On the flip side, animal sacrifices, a must earlier, have been dispensed with at many places.
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