The air is full of grief. The daughter will be leaving the house.
Ladies line up to bid farewell to the goddess.
They feed the gods, and apply sindoor to the idols.
Then they will take a pinch of the same sindoor and apply it on other married bengali hindu women.This ritual owes its origins to the belief that the goddess is heading for her in-laws’ house and should be decked and fed properly. After all what will Her in-laws think.
The women prepare Dadhikarma. This is made from yogurt, milk, flattened rice, puffed rice, jaggery and batasha. This is given to Durga and then given to all. The Goddess has a long journey to take. She cannot go on a heavy stomach, but never in an empty stomach. So sweets, fruits and Dadhikarma. Books, pens are kept around the Goddess, such that the students can be blessed.
My mother would take a coin, give it to the Goddess, take a coin and keep it in her sindoor box. Then she would apply some of her sindoor to the Goddess and take some sindoor from the idol and mix it with her own sindoor.
Once the rituals of bidding the Goddess is done, the priests go around the Goddess. The Goddess who had been invoked is now peacefully sent off to a long journey.
The priests then asks the people around to bid the mother farewell.
Darpan Visarjan is then performed. In a bowl of water, in which alta , kumkum and sindoor has been mixed and a mirror is kept, Durga's reflection is captured. Amidst chanting of mantras, Durga is bed farewell.
In the air , people shout BOLO DURGA MAI KI - JAI.
Now a patient wait for the next year when the Goddess will come visiting again.
In the evening the Image of Durga along with Navapatrika is taken in procession to the river bank and immersed in the river. The water taken from the spot, known as Shanti Jal is sprinkled on the devotees who embrace one another as an expression of their solidarity as children of the same Divine Mother.
The younger people touch the feet (Pronam) of their elders for their blessings and the men of same age do Kolakuli(hugging each other in a particular way). A time to visit close relatives and friends to wish Subho Bijoya to them. And of course greet each other with platters of sweets.
In Delhi, evening had a different charm. After the immersion of the Goddess, it was time to see burning of Ravava.
Huge effigies of Ravana, his brother Kumbhakarna and son Meghnad would be built. A bamboo frame on which paper has been stuck and painted. And inside the frame would be fire crackers. At the end of the Ram Leela, a person playing Rama would say I will pierce your navel and kill you and shoot an arrow.
I was always surprised then how this was done. Rama's arrow would fall barely a foot away, but somehow Ravana would burn. Later I realized it was just symbolic and the effigies were already setup in a way that an electric spark close by, would cause them to burn.
Dasha Hara is a Sanskrit word. It means removal of bad fate. Durga has won over the asuras. Rama has won over Ravana.
Victory of Good over Evil.
Ladies line up to bid farewell to the goddess.
They feed the gods, and apply sindoor to the idols.
Then they will take a pinch of the same sindoor and apply it on other married bengali hindu women.This ritual owes its origins to the belief that the goddess is heading for her in-laws’ house and should be decked and fed properly. After all what will Her in-laws think.
The women prepare Dadhikarma. This is made from yogurt, milk, flattened rice, puffed rice, jaggery and batasha. This is given to Durga and then given to all. The Goddess has a long journey to take. She cannot go on a heavy stomach, but never in an empty stomach. So sweets, fruits and Dadhikarma. Books, pens are kept around the Goddess, such that the students can be blessed.
My mother would take a coin, give it to the Goddess, take a coin and keep it in her sindoor box. Then she would apply some of her sindoor to the Goddess and take some sindoor from the idol and mix it with her own sindoor.
Once the rituals of bidding the Goddess is done, the priests go around the Goddess. The Goddess who had been invoked is now peacefully sent off to a long journey.
The priests then asks the people around to bid the mother farewell.
Darpan Visarjan is then performed. In a bowl of water, in which alta , kumkum and sindoor has been mixed and a mirror is kept, Durga's reflection is captured. Amidst chanting of mantras, Durga is bed farewell.
In the air , people shout BOLO DURGA MAI KI - JAI.
Now a patient wait for the next year when the Goddess will come visiting again.
In the evening the Image of Durga along with Navapatrika is taken in procession to the river bank and immersed in the river. The water taken from the spot, known as Shanti Jal is sprinkled on the devotees who embrace one another as an expression of their solidarity as children of the same Divine Mother.
The younger people touch the feet (Pronam) of their elders for their blessings and the men of same age do Kolakuli(hugging each other in a particular way). A time to visit close relatives and friends to wish Subho Bijoya to them. And of course greet each other with platters of sweets.
In Delhi, evening had a different charm. After the immersion of the Goddess, it was time to see burning of Ravava.
Huge effigies of Ravana, his brother Kumbhakarna and son Meghnad would be built. A bamboo frame on which paper has been stuck and painted. And inside the frame would be fire crackers. At the end of the Ram Leela, a person playing Rama would say I will pierce your navel and kill you and shoot an arrow.
I was always surprised then how this was done. Rama's arrow would fall barely a foot away, but somehow Ravana would burn. Later I realized it was just symbolic and the effigies were already setup in a way that an electric spark close by, would cause them to burn.
Dasha Hara is a Sanskrit word. It means removal of bad fate. Durga has won over the asuras. Rama has won over Ravana.
Victory of Good over Evil.
Happy Dussehra and Subho Bijoya Dasami
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