The beginning of Durga Puja

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Durga Puja. The five days of fun, frolic, magic, spirit, friendship and welcoming Goddess Durga to Earth. There is an interesting myth and history behind the festival. Maa Durga is the Goddess created by several other Gods in Hindu Mythology in the war between the Devas and Asuras. Devas are the Gods, and Asuras are said to be the monsters, but both possess divine powers. So for the final blow, Maa Durga was sent as the ensemble of the powers of all the Gods, to kill Mahis-asura, the Lord of the Asuras. She defeated the opponent and got rid of the opposing force once and for all. In the myths, she is the wife of Lord Shiva and they live on the top of Mount Kailash, which is a parallel version of Mount Olympus in greek myths. Every year, she comes back to Earth for five days as it is her home. She is Mother Nature and a powerful goddess. For these five days, Earth and people welcome her and her children gods and goddesses, and at the end bid goodbye to her when she returns to her husband. This festival was supposedly celebrated by people some millenna ago in spring. But now it is celebrated in Autumn. This is because of the events in Ramayana, the Indian epic. Ram Chandra, in order to defeat Ravana the king of Lanka and the lord of demons, prayed for the incarnation of Goddess Durga in autumn just before the war. Goddess Durga appeared and told him to collect 108 blue lotuses, only then she would bless him. He was short of one, for which he offered his eye as it resembled a blue lotus. Seeing his devotion, she blessed him, for history was about to repeat itself. Ram defeated Ravana and from that moment onwards, this time of the year is chosen to welcome Maa Durga. It is called "Akal Badhan" in Sanskrit, or an uncustomary time for the commencement of worship. The time period of the battle in Ramayana is the time period for this autumn festival in India. The battle commenced on Saptami (7th day of fortnight in Hindu Lunar calendar) and Ravana was defeated on Navami (9th day). He was cremated on Dussera or Dashami (10th Day). That's how long the Durga Puja is celebrated here. Primarily from Sasthi (6th day) to Dashami. I don't know any more details about the significance of this festival, but it is the time when we all come together to celebrate what is good, vanquish the evil and restore balance in the universe.