October Fairs Festivals : Durga Puja
DURGA PUJA
: Homage To The Mother Goddess
 The
Durga Puja of Bengal, performed during the nine days of Navaratri,
is now a legendary celebration. Whole villages of idolmakers get
busy months before, working with clay and hay, forming beautiful,
lustrous idols of Durga, her sons Kartikeya and Ganesha and her
daughters Lakshmi and Saraswati. She is always shown riding a lion
and killing Mahishasura with her trident.
Community pujas in Bengal are organised enthusiastically in every
locality and this annual celebration brings daily routine to complete
stop. Families visit each other to share endless feasts of- sweetmeats,
luchis, kheer and seasonal vegetables. On Bijoya day the idols are
taken in elaborate processions for immersion to the river or the
sea. This is a time of brightly illuminated pandals where performances
of music, dance, plays and jatras traditionally take place.
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