In Hinduism, Durga (Sanskrit: दुर्गा) is a form of Saraswati, Parvati, Lakshmi or Devi, thesupreme goddess. She is depicted as a woman riding a lionwith multiple hands carrying weapons and assuming mudras, orsymbolic hand gestures. This form of the Goddessis the embodiment of feminine and creative energy (Shakti).

Durga in Hindu Mythology

According to the narrative from the Devi Mahatmyam of the Markandeya purana, the form of Durga was created as an warrior goddess to fight the demon Mahishasura. Through intense prayers to Brahma, Mahishasura had the boon that he could not be defeated by any man or god. By virtue of this power, he invaded the gods, who went for help to the supreme trinity -Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva, but Mahishashur defeated all of the gods including the trinity themselves. He unleashed a reign of terror on earth, heaven and the nether worlds. Eventually, since only a woman could kill him the gods and the trinity and created a dazzling beam of energy out ofwhich Durga was born. Her form was blindingly beautiful, with a face sculpted by Shiva, torso by Indra, breasts by Chandra (the moon), teeth by Brahma, bottom by the Earth, thighs and knees by Varuna (wind), and her three eyes by Agni (fire). Each god also gave her their own most powerful weapons - Shiva's trident, Vishnu's discus, Indra's thunderbolt, etc.

The word Shakti, meaning strength, reflects the warrior aspectof the goddess, embodying a traditional male role. But sheis also strikingly beautiful, and initially Mahishasur tries to marryher. In her other incarnations such as Annapurna or Parvati,she is more mother-like, and as Karunamayi (karuna = kindness),

Mahishasur's story is also of interest. His father Rambha, king ofthe demons, once fell in love with a water buffalo, and mahishasurwas born out of this union. He is therefore able to change betweenhuman and buffalo form at will ("mahisha" means buffalo). Afterconquering the three worlds, he is finally challenged by Durga. Afterseveral days of battle during which his army is decimated, he isfinally killed on the tenth day of the waxing moon fortnight.

This day of victory iscelebrated as Vijaya Dashami (East and South India), Dashain(Nepal) or Dussehra (North India) - all these words literallymean "the tenth day". In Kashmir she is worshipped as shaarika (the main temple is in Hari Parbat in Srinagar). The actual period of the worship however may beover the nine preceding days Navaratri (N. India) or the five days(Bengal / Orissa).

The Worship of Durga (Durga Puja)

The worship of Durga in the autumn month of Sharat is the major festival in Bengal. Puja means worship, and Durga's Puja iscelebrated from the sixth to tenth day of the waxing moon in the monthof Ashvin, which is the sixth month in the Hindu Calendar. Occasionally however, due to a misalignment between the lunar cycleand the solar months, it may also be held in the following month,Kartik. In the Gregorian calendar, this corresponds to themonths of September/October.

In the Krittibas Ramayana, Rama invokes the goddess Durga in hisbattle against Ravana. Although she was traditionally worshipped inthe Spring, due to contingencies of battle, Rama had to invoke her inthe autumn (). Today it is this Rama's date for thepuja that has gained ascendancy, although the spring Puja, known as Basanti puja, is also present in the Hindu almanac. Since the season ofthe puja is sharat (autumn), it is also known as shaaradiya.

The Puja's are held over a five-day period, which is traditionallyviewed as the coming of the married daughter, Durga, to her father,Himalayas' home. It is the mostimportant festival in Bengal, and Bengalis celebrate with new clothesand other gifts, which are worn on the evenings when the family goesout

In Kolkata alone more than a thousand galleries(a.k.a. pandals) are set up, all clamouring for the fickle attentionof the populace. Across the world, Durga Puja serves as a communitygathering and a connection to roots for the widespread Bengalidiaspora. Tokyo has nearly ten Pujas, and North America has severalhundred. Bangladesh, with its 10% hindu population has at least athousand pujas.

Durga Puja in Bengal

A considerable literature exists around Durga in the Bengali language and its early forms, including Durgotsavnirnaya (11th century), Durgabhaktitarangini by Vidyapati (14th century),etc. Durga Puja was popular in Bengal in the medieval period, andrecords exist of it being held in the courts of Rajshahi (16th century) and Nadia (18th century). It was during the 18th century, however, that the worship of Durga became popular among the landed elite of Bengal. Today, the culture of Durga Puja has shifted from the princely houses to Sarvojonin (literally, "involving all") forms.

Somewhere inside these complex edifices is a stage on which durga reigns, standing on her lion mount, wielding ten weapons with her ten hands. This is the religious epicenter of the festivities, and the crowds gather to offer flower worship on the mornings of the main days. Ritualized drummers, carrying large leather-strung dhaaks show off their skills during ritual dance worships called arati.

But today's Puja goes far beyond religion. In fact, visiting the pandals recent years, one can only say that Durgapuja the largest outdoor art festival on earth. In the 1990s, a preponderance of architectural models came up on the pandal exteriors, but today the art motif extends to elaborate interiors, executed by trained artists, with consistent stylistic elements, carefully executed and bearing the name of the artist.

The sculpture of the idol itself has evolved. The worship always depicts Durga with her four children, and occasionally two attendant deities and some banana-tree figures. In the olden days, all five idols would be depicted in a single frame, traditionally called pata. Since the 1980's however, the trend is to depict each idol separately.

Also associated with Durga is a myth that Rama invokes her in his battle with Ravana. For this reason, the same tenth day is celebrated in North India as Dussehra, when huge straw effigies of Ravana are burnt.

In Gujurat it is celebrated as the festival of Navaratri. During the period of Navratri, the Garba dance is performed in praise of the various movements of Mahishasur-mardini.

See also

• Hindu Goddess

Further reading

• Hindu Goddesses: Vision of the Divine Feminine in the Hindu Religious Traditions (ISBN 8120803795) by David Kinsley

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