21Oct,2023
The Durga Puja we celebrate in October is known as akaal bodhan, an untimely sacrifice where Lord Rama prayed to the Goddess before battling Ravana. The actual Durga Puja is celebrated in March and is popularly known as Chaitra Basanti Puja.
Every year, the mode of transport chosen by the Goddess for coming to Earth indicates the fate of the year. The most blessed mode is on an elephant. Horse brings destruction to crops, the boat brings floods and the palanquin shakes the Earth.
The priest who performs the first ritual must venture into forbidden areas. The first soil must be collected from the house of a vaishya and it is the priest who must beg for it
The soil from the brothel is considered to be highly pure.
The ritual of chakshu daan or giving the Mother her eye marks the beginning of Durga Puja. It is an ancient ritual that the priest who does the chakshu daan must impart the Goddess her third-eye in absolute darkness
Sholaer shaaj was completely traditional and done with Indian cork. However, the wealthy Zamindar families came up front and decided to cover the Goddess in silver foils. The daaker shaaj included posts imported from Germany for that very reason
The royal family of Malda, Dinajpur started the tradition of worshipping the holy around 16th century.
The kola bou or banana wife is actually the wife of Lord Ganesha, Riddhi-Siddhi. She is adorned as the banana stem, wrapped in clothes, bathed and even worshipped.