MAHALAYA – seven more days to Durga Puja!

Right after Vishwakarma Puja preparation starts for the biggest festival of the Bengalees – Durga Puja. The sky is blue with scattered white cloud. You can see few white Sheuli flower lying on the ground when you wake up in the morning. The scented breeze lets you know it is Autumn!

Mahalaya falls on Bengali month Aashwin – in English calender usually it’s either end of September or early to mid October. After six days from the day of Mahalaya Durga Puja first day that is Shoshthi starts. Main Puja starts on the next day – Saptami

Mahalaya is a very auspicious day for the Hindus. It marks the end of Pitri Paksha and the beginning of Devi Paksha. Many people go to holy waterbodies for “tarpan” or holy rituals remembering the ancestors.

On the day of Mahalaya many people get up very early morning and go out for morning walk. This old tradition of waking up early and going for morning walk reminds me of my childhood days.

At around 4am we used to sit near radio to listen to Birendra Bhadra’s Mahalaya special program. Now we can listen to this hourlong program at any time of the year – thanks to “YouTube”!

After listening to radio program our next venture was watching Mahishasura Mardini program on National Channel. These days there’s lot of competition on who looks better in the form of Maa Durga as multiple channels broadcast Mahishasura Mardini. The basic content is same.

Devi Sati was born as a princess to Maharaj Daksha. She worshipped Lord Shiva to marry him. After penance and meditation she pleased Lord Shiva. But her father was against this marriage as Lord Shiva leads a simple life at Kailash.

Once she went to her paternal house without being invited. There her father insulted her husband Lord Shiva. Devi Sati could not bear it and died there itself. Later she was reborn as Devi Parvati and reunited with Lord Shiva.

Devi Parvati was once worshipped by all Gods and Goddesses to relieve them and the people of the earth from ferocious demon Mahishasura who due to blessings from the God cannot be killed by any other God. Mahishasura can transform himself to Mahish or buffalo. Maa Parvati in the form of Maa Durga killed Mahishasur and the earth became peaceful once more.

Photo courtesy: Er.AB for perkypinkwanders