Durga Puja celebrates the defeat of the mythical demon Mahishasura at the hands of Goddess Durga. Mahishasura was invincible because of a boon he had earned from Lord Shiva and could only be killed by a woman, but he was too arrogant to believe that a woman would be able to defeat him. He laid waste to all three planes of existence and defeated the gods. This forced the Holy trinity to create Goddess Durga. She was then presented with a multitude of divine weapons by the rest of the Gods to help her in her fight against the demon. That is one of the reasons why she is always depicted having 10 arms, each arm for a separate weapon. This festival is the pride of the state of West Bengal and they are so passionate about it that the government declares a 5 day holiday annually just for the celebrations.

1. Vanquishing the evil and pandaal hopping at Durga Puja
Durga Puja can be considered the mother of all festivals in India as far as the scale of celebrations and involvement of
people from all classes are concerned. It is one of the biggest festivals not only in India but throughout the world. Being a
major tourist attraction, it draws thousands of foreign, and domestic, tourists annually, especially to West Bengal and
other North Eastern states, which is considered the heart of Durga Puja in India. In all honesty,I would not dare to call
myself a travel enthusiast if I had not been to a festival as popular as Durga Puja especially when I am an Indian citizen.
Durga Puja celebrates the defeat of the mythical demon Mahishasura at the hands of Goddess Durga. Mahishasura was
invincible because of a boon he had earned from Lord Shiva and could only be killed by a woman, but he was too
arrogant to believe that a woman would be able to defeat him. He laid waste to all three planes of existence and
defeated the gods. This forced the Holy trinity to create Goddess Durga. She was then presented with a multitude of
divine weapons by the rest of the Gods to help her in her fight against the demon. That is one of the reasons why she is
always depicted having 10 arms, each arm for a separate weapon. This festival is the pride of the state of West Bengal
and they are so passionate about it that the government declares a 5 day holiday annually just for the celebrations.
The best place to enjoy this festival is the capital city of Kolkata in West
Bengal. This is where Durga Puja is celebrated with the most enthusiasm. I
was there a couple of years back with a couple of myfirangi friends who had
travelled all the way from Switzerland only for this festival. It was because of
them I had got reservations in Taj hotel. It got exceedingly tiring during the
day and it was relieving to come back to the comforts of a 5 star hotel to get
a well-deserved rest.
It was a first time for me too and I wouldn’t say that I wasn’t surprised at the extravagance of the festivities. However it
was nothing compared to the wide eyed wonder in the eyes of my friends. They must have clicked over a thousand
pictures easily with their fat cameras making sure to leave out nothing from the artistic masterpieces that were the idols
of Goddess Durgato the over-the-top pandals (tents) in which the festivities took place. But as expected what caught
their attention the most were the clothes worn by the locals especially the women with their Bengali style saree, the
huge bindisand the extraordinarily large and beautiful Bengali eyes.
The main aspects of the festival are the long and fascinating aartis and poojaswhich comprise of mantras and shlokas.
This kind of Pooja can only be accomplished by an accomplished pandit. This is one of the primary reasons why the
festival has emerged more of a community festival than a private one. The idol of the Goddess is unveiled on the first day
of the festival when thousands of people offer prayers to their ancestors and the next three days are consumed by the
rituals. On the last day of the festival, the idols are immersed in either rivers or the sea.

2. However, the most exciting feature of the festival is something called ‘Pandal Hopping’. Most people dress up in new
clothes every single evening and head out to visit as manypandals (tents) as possible. There are no restrictions for
anyone , anywhere. All pandalsare open to everyone even if you don’t belong to that particular community.
Communities usually organize these events on a very large scale therefore there is plenty of food for everyone and
people make It a point to visit as many pandals as possible to taste all the different kinds of dishes which have been
prepared by that community. In recent times awards have also been given out for the bestpandal, the best Durga Idol
etc. This has goaded the communities to push the standards even higher with each
year featuring bigger idols of the goddess than the previous ones and also more
innovative themes for the pandals. I did not visit those pandals personally but I
heard that there were two pandals decorated on Egyptian and Harry Potter theme.
You see, my friends were more interested in an authentic Indian experience. We
also stayed back for a couple of Poojas. By the look in their eyes I am sure they were
quite fascinated. By the end of the festival my friends had had so much tikka put on
their foreheads that I could practically play Holi with that much colour if I wanted to.
Nor do I think they had ever had so much junk food, even by western standards. I
also heard that their stomachs were rather loud but not clear for the next couple of
days
Durga Puja has tremendous religious importance in the lives of millions of people across the world but it also very
significant economically. Hundreds of thousands of people find employment and sustenance because of these festivities
like artisans, sculptors,tent organisers, musicians, pundits, food organisers, etc. It is for this very reason that this festival
holds so much importance in the lives of countless people and for a few other reasons, in the lives of us travel
enthusiasts like me. Trust me; the true Indian experience is incomplete without having experienced the Durga Puja
festivities.
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