DURGA PUJO: THE FESTIVAL OF DIVINE HOMECOMING AND TRIUMPH

 DURGA PUJO: THE FESTIVAL OF DIVINE HOMECOMING AND TRIUMPH

 

“The Goddess comes home, and with her, the heart of Bengal beats a little louder, a little brighter”, writes Sudeshna Banerjee in her book Durga Puja: Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow.

 

Imagine the beating of dhaak echoing across the streets, the air thick with the fragrance of incense and flowers, and a divine presence, four days of joy, felt in every corner. This is Durga Pujo – the majestic festival of eastern India and the heart and soul of Bengali culture. For four magical days, the Goddess Durga, the destroyer of evil, comes down from her celestial abode to visit her parents, Giriraj and Maneka. She was accompanied by her young children: daughters Laxmi and Saraswati and sons Kartik and Ganesha. She is welcomed with rituals and reverence- her visit symbolising the triumph of good over evil and the cyclical nature of life and death.

 

The roots of Durga Pujo date back to ancient Hindu scriptures, where Goddess Durga is said to have waged a fierce battle against the demon king Mahishashura. This festival commemorates her victory, celebrating life, fertility, and the divine feminine (Shakti). But more than just a routine religious occasion, Durga Pujo has become a cultural phenomenon, where art, music, food and fashion unite in an eruption of joy and community spirit.

 

Film director Srijit Mukherjee, during the promotion of his film Uma, said, “Durga Puja is the most cinematic festival- it’s larger than life, full of drama, colours and emotion. Every street becomes a set, every pandal a scene. It’s where the divine and the mundane merge beautifully.”

 

In her book, Sudeshna Banerjee discusses the 75 ingredients used in the mahasnan (the holy bath of the Goddess) and the towering, intricately designed pandals that house her idols. Everything about Durga Pujo is more significant than life.

 

The pandals, erected in ancestral homes and public spaces, serve as a stage for religious rites, lively performances, dances like the traditional dhunuchi nach, and an endless flow of festivities. Revellers clad in new clothes feast on delicacies, visit fairs, exchange gifts, and participate in the grand communal experience that is Pujo.

 

The Goddess Durga has many forms and names across India- Amba in Kashmir, Kamakhya in Kamrup, Bhavani in Rajasthan, but she is, above all, a daughter in Bengal. Her visit is a deeply personal event that touches and transforms millions of lives. Mahalaya, the dawn radio broadcast heralds her arrival, has become a cultural touchstone, with the baritone of Birendra Kishore Bhadra reciting the Shri Shri Chandi, serving us the unmistakeable green flag, very much similar to that of a railway TT, signalling that Pujo has begun.

 

The emotional core of Durga Pujo is rooted in the idea of homecoming and family. The goddess arrives not alone but with her children, just as countless Bengalis return to their ancestral homes to celebrate. As writer Rumer Godden once said, “Home is not just a place; it’s a feeling,” for Bengalis, Durga Pujo evokes that feeling most profoundly.

 

Actress Rani Mukherjee once said, in an interview about her love for Durga Pujo, “ For me, Durga Pujo is a time to reconnect with my roots. It’s not just about the rituals but the emotions—the family gatherings, the laughter, and the feelings of togetherness that define who we are as Bengalis.”

 

Goddess Durga’s journey is unique every year. Depending on the day Navratri begins, Durga arrives in a different vehicle- an elephant, horse, palanquin, or boat, each symbolising a different omen for the coming year. Her arrival is steeped in as much tradition as her departure. On the final day of the festival, Vijaya Dashami is bittersweet. After four days of celebrations, Durga and her children return to the divine cosmos, leaving empty pandals and lingering sadness behind. But before the immersion, women perform sindoor khela. In this joyous yet emotional ritual, they bid the Goddess farewell by smearing vermilion on her and each other, symbolising marital bliss and the strength of womanhood. As the idols disappear into the water, the streets gradually return to their usual daily hum, but the spirit of Durga lingers. After the last drumbeats fade, the deeper essence of Durga is realised and felt. It is a celebration of resilience and renewal, of life triumphing over darkness. Whether through the myth of Mahishashura’s defeat or the collective joy of the community, Durga Pujo reminds us that good always prevails no matter how fierce the battle is and how long it lasts.

 

As the Goddess returns to Kailash, the Bengalis await her next visit with the same enthusiasm and anticipation, knowing that each year, she brings the promise of hope, love, and victory. The cycle begins anew—Durga, the eternal daughter, will always come home, and she is always welcome.