Durga Puja begins
Friday, 25 September 2009
The greatest religious festival of the Hindu community `Sharadiya Durgotsav' started Thursday with due religious fervour and festivity in the highest ever 24,000 mandaps throughout the country, reports BSS.
The five-day programmes of the grand celebration began with Shashti Puja, the first day rituals divided into two separate sessions-one in the morning with `Kalparambho' and the other in the evening with 'Bodhan' and `Adhibas'of the deity.
According to Swami Sthiratmananda of Ram Krishna Mission here, the 'Kalparambho' is the ritual to wake the goddess up from slumber while Bodhan and Adhibas stand for ceremonious rituals to welcome the goddess Durga to the earth.
Bodhan was arranged under the 'Bilwa Brikkha' (wood-apple), which is called 'Sri Brikkha' in the Hindu mythology. The Hindus worship the wood-apple tree, a very useful medicinal plant, considered as the symbol of Durga. The three parts of a wood- apple leaf is considered as the dwelling places of Brahma, Vishnu and Maheswara.
At the time of Bodhan, the devotees worship Devi Durga with eight propitious metals including gold and silver and take a determination by reciting from the holy Hindu scripture Chandi and praising in the name of Durga. Without determination, Puja is not accepted by Ma (Durga).
As the weather was comparatively good than that in the previous days, the devotees in large numbers thronged the Puja mandaps in their respective areas early in the morning to perform the Shashti Puja.
The atmosphere of the mandaps, tastefully decorated for Durga Puja with Anjali and Arati and also to welcome the guests and visitors, were buzzing with the rhythmic beats of Dhaks, Kansa and Uludhwani of the Hindu women.
The five-day programmes of the grand celebration began with Shashti Puja, the first day rituals divided into two separate sessions-one in the morning with `Kalparambho' and the other in the evening with 'Bodhan' and `Adhibas'of the deity.
According to Swami Sthiratmananda of Ram Krishna Mission here, the 'Kalparambho' is the ritual to wake the goddess up from slumber while Bodhan and Adhibas stand for ceremonious rituals to welcome the goddess Durga to the earth.
Bodhan was arranged under the 'Bilwa Brikkha' (wood-apple), which is called 'Sri Brikkha' in the Hindu mythology. The Hindus worship the wood-apple tree, a very useful medicinal plant, considered as the symbol of Durga. The three parts of a wood- apple leaf is considered as the dwelling places of Brahma, Vishnu and Maheswara.
At the time of Bodhan, the devotees worship Devi Durga with eight propitious metals including gold and silver and take a determination by reciting from the holy Hindu scripture Chandi and praising in the name of Durga. Without determination, Puja is not accepted by Ma (Durga).
As the weather was comparatively good than that in the previous days, the devotees in large numbers thronged the Puja mandaps in their respective areas early in the morning to perform the Shashti Puja.
The atmosphere of the mandaps, tastefully decorated for Durga Puja with Anjali and Arati and also to welcome the guests and visitors, were buzzing with the rhythmic beats of Dhaks, Kansa and Uludhwani of the Hindu women.