Worship at every mandap, farewell tune for goddess in devotees’ minds

Today is Maha Navami of Durga Puja, the biggest religious festival of the followers of Sanatan Dharma. Tomorrow Wednesday (October 21) is Bijoya Dashami. The five-day festival will end with the immersion of the idols. Goddess Durga will return to Kailash. Therefore along with the joy of the festival there is now the sadness of farewell in the minds of the devotees. Preparations are going on at every mandap to bid farewell to the goddess.

According to religious belief, Maha Navami is a reminder of the destruction of evil forces and the victory of good forces. On this tithi the defeat of evil forces takes place through the killing of Mahishasura at the hands of Goddess Durga. On the other hand, according to the description of the Ramayana, Ram kills Ravana around this time. After the night of Navami passes the formalities of Durga Puja will move towards conclusion. Therefore the tune of farewell is now mixed with joy at every mandap.

On the occasion of Maha Navami devotees are worshipping and offering prayers to Goddess Durga at various puja mandaps in the capital and across the country. Along with the morning formalities of the puja they offer ahuti in the yajna and pray to the goddess.

One of the main attractions of Bijoya Dashami is the sindoor khela. Before the immersion of the idols married women bid farewell to the goddess by applying sindoor and offering sweets. Later they share the joy of the festival by applying sindoor on each other. This ritual is called ‘Devi Boron’.

According to traditional belief, through the sindoor khela the women seek the well-being of their husbands and the welfare of the family from the goddess. After touching sindoor to the feet of the goddess they exchange sindoor among themselves. Some apply sindoor on each other’s forehead, some on the cheeks. Everyone makes the last day of the festival joyful with dance, song and sweets.

Although the sindoor khela is mainly a ritual of married women, other devotees are also present at the mandap at this time. Unmarried young women also participate in the festival in many cases by applying sindoor on their hands and cheeks.

The formalities of Durga Puja will end with the immersion of the idols on Bijoya Dashami. Under the leadership of the Mahanagar Sarbojonin Puja Committee the Bijoya procession will start from Palashi Mor and go to Wise Ghat at Sadarghat. The idols will be immersed there. According to the organisers’ schedule the immersion is scheduled to start after 3pm on Wednesday.