Tag: Durga Puja

Subho Bijoya Dashami

Ma Durga and her children — Ganesh, Lakshmi, Saraswati and Kartik. Click to embiggen.

Pujo ended today. Ma Durga’s visit to her maternal home is over and she’s gone back to her husband’s home. Bengali traditional iconography shows her with her children. In the picture above, from left to right, there’s Ganesh, Lakshmi, Ma Durga riding a lion in her incarnation as Mahisasurmardini (the slayer of the demon Mahisasur), Saraswati and Kartik. (Image from the puja pandal at PJC Bangalore.)

Mahisasur is a powerful asura (demon) depicted as a half-buffalo, half-human being born from the union of an asura king and a she-buffalo named Mahishi. He is known for his shape-shifting abilities, capable of transforming between human and buffalo forms. He gained immense power through severe penance, which led to a boon from Bramha Dev granting him invulnerability to being killed by any man or god. This boon had a critical loophole: he could only be slain by a woman.  Continue reading “Subho Bijoya Dashami”

Shubho Bijoya

Ma Durga with (l to r) Ganesh, Lakshmi, Saraswati and Kartik.

Today was visarjan and Ma Durga has returned with her children to her husband’s home. After visarjan, people wish each other Shubho Bijoya. So Shubho Bijoya to all.

For Bengalis, and a few other Indian communities, Ma Durga’s annual visit to her maternal home is an occasion of great celebrations. She visits with her children: sons Ganesh and Karthik, and daughters Lakshmi and Saraswati. Continue reading “Shubho Bijoya”

Shubho Bijoya

Ma Durga. Click to embiggen.

Shubho Bijoya greetings to all. Today is what we Bengalis call Bijoy Doshumi, the final day of our most important festival, Durga Pujo or simply Pujo.

I’m in Bangalore as a guest at my friend K’s home. The above image is from a Durga puja we visited yesterday evening. It depicts Ma Durga and her four children — from left to right, her son Ganesha, her daughter Lakshmi, herself, her other daughter Saraswati, and her other son Kartik.

As a child I learned this story from my mother and grandmother. Every year Durga, who is married to Shiva, comes to visit her parental abode with her four children. Everyone celebrates her visit and she is worshiped, and on the final day of Bijoy Dashumi, she goes back. Continue reading “Shubho Bijoya”

Shubho Bijoya Greetings

On Wednesday, it was Mahanabami of Durgotsav or pujo as we Bengalis refer to it in short. I went to check out some puja in the neighborhood with a friend Sudipta and his wife Suvagata. We first went to the Bay Area Durga Utsav Santa Clara, and then to the Paschimi Durga Puja at the Santa Clara Fairgrounds. Both were done quite nicely. The crowds were reasonably large, all dressed up and excited to be there. Pujo is always fun.
Continue reading “Shubho Bijoya Greetings”