"The crowd’s chatter is broken suddenly by a spontaneous eruption of sound: in perfect harmony, the dhakis start a drum roll, beating their dhaks powerfully..."

I’m led by my cousin onto the temple forecourt. He reassures me that we’ve secured a good vantage point, and says in Sylheti: “you’re in for a treat”. A crowd gathers beside and behind me, forming a perfect circle. In the middle stand three men: barefoot and traditionally dressed in dhoti and kurta. Over one shoulder rests the strap that supports their dhak: a big leather strung drum that is played only on one side and decorated with feathers; the men are referred to as 'dhakis'. The crowd’s chatter is broken suddenly by a spontaneous eruption of sound: in perfect harmony, the dhakis start a drum roll, beating their dhaks powerfully, with long flat sticks. Behind them stands a man holding a small circular metal plate; attached on one side is a loop of string that he secures around his thumb. He hits the plate with a short wide stick, setting the tempo for the dhakis to follow. A passionate devotee yells: “bolo Durga Maa ki”, and the crowd collectively respond as one, “joy!” Immediately they are joined by expertly blown conch shells, the ringing of bells, and ladies offering their jugars (ululation) from their lips; an orchestra of enormous sound, all on cue as the priest offers the first oblations of the evening aarti in front of the giant Durga murti. Once the dhakis transition from their drum roll and enter into a rhythmic beat, the priest enters into a ritualistic dance as he offers the holy fire. The dhakis impressively dance with their dhaks whilst maintaining perfect rhythm.

The priest prepares clay chalice shaped pots, filled to the brim with slow burning coconut husk and incense, called 'dhunachi'. The dhunachi are lit by the holy fire offered during the aarti, spreading an aromatic brown fog around the temple. Into the middle of the circle step forward from the crowd: a man and woman, ordinary members of the public. They stand side by side and the dhunachis are handed over to them, each clasping the bottom of their dhuanchi in the palm of their right hand. They begin to sway as they enter into a trance like state, allowing the sound of the dhak to take over their senses. As the tempo of the dhak beats intensify, so do the dancers and their gravity defying displays: each spinning and whirling their dhunachi. This dance is the Dhunachi Nritya. The aromatic fog thickens, the dhakis beat their dhaks more powerfully, the dancers spin their dhunachi more impressively, the yells of: “bolo Durga Maa ki”, “joy” louden, the conch shells blow continuously, and the women unify their jugars as midnight nears on the night of Ashtami, in the Khazipur Temple – north eastern Bangladesh, the penultimate night of the ten day observance.

This was the greatest event of the year for Bengalis; and it was my first Durga Puja experience in Bangladesh, which cemented within me the true essence of the festival – prayer, gathering, drums, dance and time for family. Visit any Durga Puja across Eastern (Bangladesh and the Indian state of Assam) and Western Bengal (the Indian state of West Bengal) and it will be difficult to find Durga Puja celebrated in any other manner. You will witness every devotee’s eyes filled with passion, joy and love; and as the beats of the dhak resonate in your chest, the hairs on the back of your neck will not fail to stand on end!

Maa Durga

Durga Puja celebrates goddess Durga’s victory over the evil buffalo demon, Mahishasura, who was terrorising the material and spiritual worlds. With her tri-eye vision, her weaponised ten arms bestowed upon her by the heavens, she rode into battle upon her lion: Durga was victorious and slayed Mahishasura where others failed.

Durga, which loosely translates to unattainable, represents Shakti, the female energy of the universe. The Devi Mahatmya of the Markandeya Purana, a sacred text of Sanatana Dharma states that the divine feminine energy has three traits that govern the cycle of reincarnation: Saraswati (creation energy), Lakshmi (preservation energy) and Kali (destruction energy). Durga is special because she represents all forms of the divine feminine energy and is lovingly referred to as “Maa” (mother).

Akaal Bodhon

Durga Puja is observed twice a year in March/April in the season of Bashant (Bashanti puja) and September/October in the season of Sharod (Sharod puja) (the Bengali Panjika lists exact dates determined by the position of the moon). The Bashanti puja is the customary time period to conduct Durga Puja; however, the Sharod puja is celebrated most widely. The Sharod puja commemorates the actions of Lord Rama Chandra (an avatar of Vishnu) detailed in the epic: Ramayana, who was set out to kill Ravana. To receive guidance and blessings before his battle, Rama invoked Durga, but this happened to be in an uncustomary time period; the Sharod puja is referred to as 'Akaal Bodhon' (worship in an uncustomary time) for this reason.

pandals

Each year, elaborate shrines are constructed, which are called 'Pandals'. Pandals are the stage and surrounding structure that the Durga murthis sit within and is the arena from which Durga Puja is conducted. The murthis together with the pandals are essentially works of art! Each artist will have their own signature pieces as they sculpt from clay each murthi; the pandals are decorated with colourful fabrics and impressive lighting. Every year the murthis and pandals become more extravagant; and in Eastern and Western Bengal they contribute to what is pretty much a large scale outdoor art exhibition.

protima

Within each pandal, Durga is usually depicted in the famous battle scene between herself and Mahishasura: piercing a spear through Mahishasura’s chest whilst sat upon a lion. She is also usually accompanied by her children: Lakshmi, Saraswati, Kartik, & Ganesh. However, unknown to most, oblations by priests are offered to a deity constructed of nine plants – referred to as 'Protima'. The Protima is thought to hold Durga’s soul and is usually adorned in a red bordered white saree and is the least elaborate, but arguably most important feature.

Shindoor Khela

For both the Bashanti puja and Sharod puja, Bengalis usually fast and undertake prayer and oblations over 10 days, but it’s the final four days (three nights) that are celebrated with much gaiety: Shoptomi, Aashtomi, Navomi and Dhashomi. On the day of Bijoya (victory) Dhashomi, married women gather and celebrate their victory in red bordered white saree attire as they wish Durga goodbye. They take part in shindoor khela, which involves presenting each other with mishti (Bengali sweets) and carefully placing shindoor (vermilion) in the parting of the receiver’s hair; a symbol of marriage. They then smear each other with shindoor with the pure objective of leaving no cheek exposed! Following the shindoor khela, in Eastern and Western Bengal, the Durga murthi and protima are submerged in the sacred Ganges delta where Durga is said to return to her husband: Shiva, in Mount Khailash in the Himalayas. In the UK, special permission was granted to a few Durga Puja committees to submerge the protima and murthi in the Thames river.

bijoya

Durga Puja is a personal celebration as much as a public one. It’s a celebration of the victory of good over evil and is a time for personal reflection of the year gone by. To celebrate all – the: good that has been achieved, lessons that have been learnt and closure for the bad that has been suffered, and prayer for courage to overcome the challenges ahead. This is the true essence of Bijoya. Durga Puja brings people together; it’s the coming together of families and friends who, especially in this modern busy age, find increasingly less time for each other and may only have time for each other once a year – during Durga Puja.

Regional Variations

Some parts of the sub-continent call it Navratri, others call it Durgaotsov. Myself and other Bengalis know it as “Durga Puja”. What’s common to all is the ten day observance; celebration through dance, Garba and Dhunachi Nritya; and family unity. What’s different is the sheer noise that Bengalis produce!

Everything about the way in which Durga Puja is celebrated is quintessentially Bengali: the sounds, the elaborate artwork, the ritual dancing, singing, playful shindoor khela, and of course: the food! This animation by Rajesh Chakraborty powerfully illustrates the spirit of Durga Puja:

Dhak (drum) – ঢাক – YouTube

So, next time you hear the drums, bells, conch shells and yells near your local community hall full of Bengalis, pop in during the aarti (usually around 7pm) and whenever you hear: “bolo Durga maa ki”, respond by shouting from the top of your lungs: “joy”!

UK Durga Puja Committees

Historically, especially during the Raj, Durga Puja was hosted by wealthy zamindars (landlords) in East and West Bengal. However, since the late 1700s, funding to hold ever more extravagant, mass scale events have been increasingly sourced from the community, known as 'Shorbijoner Durga Puja'.

We have included a list of UK Durga Puja Committees in a previous post.

The committees have come from humble beginnings: a few nostalgic friends who wanted a slice of Bengal in Britain. I hope you have a fantastic Durga Puja, Shubho Bijoya!