Emran Emon

Durga Puja is the greatest socio-religious festival of the Bengali Hindus and by now it has become a global celebration witnessed in almost all the major cities of the world—from New York to Los Angles, from London to Belfast, from Durban to Tokyo. Ashshin is the designated month for the beginning of Durga Puja. Durga Puja begins at Ashshin through Mahalaya, which is called as Agamani.

How old is this Durga Puja? Or how old is the manifestation of this deity for believers in human civilization? The oldest Vedic Sanskrit text that mentions Goddess Durga is the 'Rigveda'. Although there was no corresponding description or instructions for worshiping the idol of the goddess. Between the originally Vedic religious philosophy and today's religious practices—various customs, beliefs, reforms, superstitions and rules available at the time or the situation—have been added like the silt in the river.

According to Markandeya Purana, Durga Puja was practiced in Kalinga in 300 BC called Dusshera. It should be noted that Durga arrived in Odisha holding the hand of Mahaprabhu Sri Chaitanyadev. From that point of view, Sharadiya Durga Puja is not a suddenly born festival. It has a long history.

At that time, wealth is overflowing in Bengal. King Kangsa Narayan was interested in performing a great sacrifice in order to remain eternally alive in the Hindu society. Hearing his wishes, the Pargana Shastragya Brahmin Pandit Shreshtha Sri Ramesh Shastri proposed the four 'Maha Yajna' (Sacrifice)—Biswajit, Rajasuya, Ashwamedha and Gomedha. The first two can only be done by sovereign emperors, and the latter two are forbidden in Kali. There is no great Yajna other than Durga Puja, which can be performed by people of all races in all ages, and in one Yajna the fruits of all Yajnas are obtained.

Kangsa Narayan also agreed as all the assembled scholars supported Ramesh Shastri's opinion. Goddess Bodhan took place in present Rajshahi's Taherpur College ground which is known the courtyard of Kangsa Narayan's Rajbari. In that Puja, 500 years ago, lakhs of money were spent along with gold idols, the current value of which is six-hundred crore money.

The existence of Durga Puja is found in Bengali literature even in medieval times. At that time, Puja was done mainly in the palaces of the kings and queens, in the Natmandir. There was no public access. The so-called lower caste or poor class tenants could not stand in line with their kings and enjoy the pleasure of Puja. The so-called upper classes (except few exceptions) also considered class distinctions to be aristocracy. The regret of this division is dispelled in the practice of 'Barwari' Puja.

The word 'Barwari' is derived from the Sanskrit words “bar”, which means public, and the Persian word “wari”, which means For (friend). It is called 'Barwari' because 12 members of the village conduct this puja in a friendly manner. The practice of Barwari Puja is known to indicate that during the Sena period, Hinduism received royal patronage in Bengal and the status of Brahmins increased in society. The Durga Puja of the Sena Dynasty and their families was popular at that time.

Around 1166, Durga Puja was organized in Sena Rajbari with much grandeur. In the afternoon, the tenants came to the residence of Sena Dynasty along with their children to see the idol. But the gatekeepers barred them from entering. After many attempts, they returned home feeling humiliated by not being allowed to see the idol, and told everyone about it. Due to some dispute, the youth of 12 villages decided to organize this Puja together.

In Calcutta, since 1929, Simla Byayam Samity has been introducing Duga Puja. Revolutionaries and political leaders of that time including Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Das were involved in introducing Duga Puja. Netaji Subash Chandra Bose was also closely associated with it, due to which the puja came to be known as 'Netaji Puja'. This is how Durga Puja, which was once—the puja just for elite class and the kings and queens, became 'universal' in the course of time.

Durga Puja is one of the biggest festivals of the country. In simpler terms, the Bengali Hindu identity and Durga Puja are parallel to each other. To put it bluntly, Durga Puja is the most long-lasting and festive celebration not only for Bengali Hindus but also for the entire Bengali nation.

In 2021, UNESCO included Durga Puja in the list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. As UNESCO's website states, "Durga Puja is seen as the best instance of the public performance of religion and art, and as a thriving ground for collaborative artists and designers."

The main appeal of the Durga Puja is 'the destruction of all evil forces'. The country that became independent with the dream of building a 'secular and humane society', is still plagued by the poison of communalism and inhumanity. Here people still have to live with the identity of religion and caste. People are still evaluated on the basis of religion and caste in this country. As human beings, we have not become 'human' yet. Until that happens, our entire crisis will not be resolved. And our 'desired redemption' will not happen. We all have to work to eliminate the anarchy and communal violence that exists around us today. Consensus must be built against communalism.

The writer is a researcher, journalist, and columnist.