Believed as the root cause of creation, sustenance and annihilation, Goddess Durga is the principal form of the Mother Goddess
in Hinduism. ‘Durga’ in Sanskrit means ‘invincible’ or the destroyer of sins, injustice, irreligion, cruelty & laziness.
In Hinduism Durga is the consort of Lord Shiva and is worshipped by many names such as Amba, Ambika, Jagadamba, Parvathi, Shakti, Adishakti, Adi Parashakti and Devi.
She is also known as Uma, "light"; Gauri, "yellow or brilliant". She is a symbol of female dynamism and represents the mother of Universe. Goddess Durga
is worshipped during the festival of Durga Puja every year in all over India especially popular in West Bengal, Odisha, Assam and Tripura amongst the Bengalis.
According to the Puranas and Agamas, Durga is described as endless aspects and the iconography consequently varies. Riding a lion “Simhavahini” she is pictured having ten
arms holding Sword, Conch, Discus, Rosary, Bell, Winecup, Shielf, Bow, Arrow, and Spear.
The Hindu Goddess Durga is a unified symbol of all divine forces and is said to have manifested when evil forces threatened the very existence of the Gods. To destroy these
demons, all Gods offered their radiance to her creation and each formed different parts of Durga’s body. She also obtained very powerful weapons, such as the Chakra from Lord
Vishnu and the Trishul (trident) from Lord Shiva. Goddess Durga, hence, rose to power and killed the dangerous demon Mahishasur and all his great commanders.
She is a beautiful warrior and stories suggests armed with celestial and powerful weapons gifted by the deities dressed in royal red cloth and has several ornaments decorating
her personage. Goddess Durga rode into the battle field and challenged the Buffalo Daemon Mahishasur. After a long fight Durga flung her trident and beheaded Mahishasur, finally
killing him.
Goddess Durga has been worshipped from about 400 AD. The Ramayana and The Mahabharata epic and Puranic texts are the literary references of her and she is also mentioned in the
vedic literature.
Every year she comes for 9 days in her father’s home & the Navaratri is perhaps worshipped and observed in her honour.
• Mahalaya: October 2, 2024 (Wednesday)
• Maha Panchami: October 8, 2024 (Tuesday)
• Maha Shasthi: October 9, 2024 (Wednesday)
• Maha Saptami: October 10, 2024 (Thursday)
• Maha Ashtami: October 11, 2024 (Friday)
• Maha Navami: October 12, 2024 (Saturday)
• Vijaya Dashami: October 13, 2024 (Sunday)
