Durga Puja the biggest festival of Bangalis is also considered as one of the social events of India. It is an auspicious festival of Bengalis which is also referred as a 10 days of carnival in the state of West Bengal and eastern state of India. In Kolkata the capital city of West Bengal and other neighboring states, magnificently created puja pandals are erected and are major attraction. Magnificent Pooja Pandals are unique in terms of their materials, theme and shapes. It is truly a delight for eyes to watch such magnificent Pandals of Durga Puja and amazingly carved goddess idols. For complete 10 days of celebration, a spurt of fanfare is easily sensed and that too especially on last 5 days of the festival. Bengalis consider Durga Puja as a wonderful festival celebration to reconnect with family and friends. In fact the air gets filled with the festivity during this time of the year. Read further to know more about Durga Puja in Kolkata.
Durga Puja festival preparations commences one or two months in prior to the celebration dates. Just like Diwali bonus offered to employees in North India, in Kolkata Puja Bonus is offered to employees of both government as well as private organizations. In fact, many Pre-pooja bargain sales are also offered by shops in Kolkata as they get huge amount of sale during the festival. The festival is in fact welcomed with great enthusiasm by every household.
The Making of Durga IdolMany years back, Durga Puja festival was celebrated within the families at home and now it has turned into a community festival which is celebrated at Puja pandals. Few months prior to the festival celebration in Kumartuli which is a place near to Kolkata, amazing idols of goddess Durga are given shape. It is a famous place for production of beautiful idols of gods and goddesses. Here the expert artisans show their talent in making idols of Goddess Durga, Lord Kartik, Goddess Saraswati, Lord Ganesha, Goddess Lakshmi and the demon Mahisasura which are required for the festival.
Magnificient Decorations of Durga Puja Pandal
On Durga Puja, pooja pandals are the main attraction. Many people are much talented in developing Puja Pandals (huge covered stage for Puja) with use of wood, paper, bamboos, plastic materials, clothes and other amazing stuffs. Innovative ideas of making Pandal set ups and goddess idols are done with great devotion and a lot of money is erected in Puja Pandals which are all decked with mesmerizing art work. In fact many pandals are also built in shape of world famous monuments or structures.
Durga Puja Celebration & its Main Days
The major days of the celebration of Durga Puja celebration are seventh, eight, ninth and the tenth day. Basically, the celebration of Durga Puja gears its pace on the 6th day of celebration that is on Maha Shashti. The major rituals of Durga Puja start on the 7th day. The priest is called upon to chant the mantras, shlokas of Puja and perform aarti at the pandal of the Puja. Moreover, there are many cultural activities held such as dance and song competitions as well as games are also organized during last few days of the festival celebration. Many professional artists like singers, dancers, musicians are also called for singing bhajan and stuti of Goddess Durga. Apart from pandal decorations, the city is also illuminated and decorated with displays of colorful and sparkling lights. Also educational institutions as well as offices are closed during four main days of Durga Puja celebration. Indeed, Durga Puja is the biggest nd most cheerfully celebrated festival of Kolkata.
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