Durga Puja 2021: The five-day festival of Durga Puja is near. It is one of the biggest Hindu festivals and preparations are in full swing.
While Durga Puja is especially important for Bengalis living in and out of West Bengal, many other states such as Odisha, Tripura, Bihar, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat also celebrate the festival with great enthusiasm.
The 10-day Durga Puja festival ends with Dussehra, which celebrates the victory of Goddess Durga over Mahishasura, the buffalo demon, which depicts the victory of good over evil.
While the main festival begins with Maha Shashthi, the festival According to the Hindu lunar calendar, start much earlier – with Mahalaya, the last day of the Krishna Paksha (Krishnapaksha) of the month of Ashwin.
It is believed that Durga descends on this day every year on her ‘ancestral home’ earth.
The Devi Paksha begins the next day, marking the first day of the month of Sharad, beginning the ten-day long Durga Puja festival.
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Durga Puja days and their importance
While the rituals of Durga Puja begin from Mahalaya, the main festival begins on the sixth day of Devi Paksha, Maha Shashthi.
According to Hindu mythology, Lord Brahma granted Mahishasura the boon of invincibility, which meant that no man or even God could kill him. It is said that inspired by the boom, he drove the gods out of their heaven. Then all the gods together created Goddess Durga.
On Dashami, the tenth day of Devi Paksha, Durga slays the demon Mahishasura, and hence this day is celebrated as Vijay Dashami, which signifies the ‘victory’ of good over evil.
Durga Puja 2021 Dates
Mahalaya: October 6, 2021, Wednesday
Maha Shashthi: 11 October 2021, Monday
Maha Saptami: 12 October 2021, Tuesday
Maha Ashtami: 13 October 2021, Wednesday
Maha Navami: 14 October 2021, Thursday
Vijayadashami: October 15, 2021, Friday
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