Mahishasura, shape shifting demon mentioned in the Markandeya Purana. He was the son of king Ramba, an asura who performed severe penance to get the boon of an invincible son from Lord Agni, the fire god, . his son would not be defeated by any man, god or animal. Agni also revealed that the boon would get stronger if Ramba’s son got it straight from Lord Brahma, the creator god.

Creation of Durga. What each weapon symbolises

The ten arms symbolise how the Goddess protects her devotees in all 10 directions; the 4 cardinal directions, the 4 ordinal directions and also above and below the living realm.

Trident or trishul Shiva The three-headed sharp weapon is said to symbolise the three gunas humankind is made of, tamas, rajas and sattva.
Discus or Sudarshan Chakra Vishnu It symbolises the centre of creation
Thunderbolt or vajra Indra It symbolises firmness of character, determination, and supreme power
Conch Varuna The conch is the symbol of the primordial sound of creation, Aum
Spear Agni a spear symbolises auspiciousness also represents pure, fiery power
Sword Yama Symbolising intellect and wisdom, this weapon is usually carried by people who have a sense of responsibility and the understanding to discern right from worng.
Bow and arrows Vayu This combination of potential and kinetic powers symbolises energy
Club or axe Vishwakarma Representations of Durga alternate between these two weapons. Both symbolise the powers of, and have the power to destroy as well as create
Lotus Brahma represents wisdom, as well as liberation through knowledge
Snake While a lot of representations of Durga show one hand empty in blessing, or holding the trishul to kill Mahishasura, the tenth hand is actually supposed to be holding a snake. It symbolises consciousness and the masculine energy of Shiva.
Lion the Mount Lord of the mountains Dharma, Strength, Courage and Leadership

 

The origin of the community puja can be credited to the twelve friends of Guptipara in Hoogly, West Bengal, who collaborated and collected contributions from local residents to conduct the first community puja called the ‘baro-yaari’ puja, or the ‘twelve-pal’ puja, in 1790. The baro-yaari puja was brought to Kolkata in 1832 by Raja Harinath “The baro-yaari puja gave way to the sarbajanin or community puja in 1910, when the Sanatan Dharmotsahini Sabha organized the first.

The traditional icon of the goddess worshiped during the Durga Puja also features her four children—Kartikeya, Ganesha, Saraswati, and Lakshmi.

Clay  mixed with straw and is applied over bamboo  the basic skeleton of the idol. This skeleton is sun dried to make it solid and hard. The clay from the river Hooghly (Ganga Maati) is then mixed with fine jute fibers and is applied over the dry skeleton to give a smooth finishing to the structure. A ceremony is performed in honor of the God Ganesha before the construction of these idols begins.

Mahalaya which is a day before the Pooja begins. The face of the idol is blindfolded before that and is only uncovered on the day of painting the eyes with a religious ceremony and blowing of the conch shell. It is believed that when an artisan paints the eyes on the idol, he brings it to life.

One of the most interesting rituals performed as a part of this craft, is using the mud from the courtyard of a prostitute to make the idols by mixing it with the smooth clay from the banks of Hooghly. This convention is guided by the belief that when a man enters a brothel, he leaves all his virtues at her doorstep. The soil of a courtesans’ courtyard is thus believed to be the purest and is called ‘Punya Mitti’. A potter or a priest is supposed to beg a courtesan for this soil according to the oral history of Bengal.

 

Traditional clay image of  Durga, or pratima, made of clay with all five gods and goddesses under one structure is known as ‘ek-chala’ (‘ek’ = one, ‘chala’ = cover).

There are two kinds of embellishments that are used on clay—sholar saaj and daker saaj. The silver used to be imported from Germany and was delivered by post (dak). Hence the name daker saaj.

According to Devi Bhagwat Purana, every year Maa Durga comes and departs  riding on different vehicles depending on the day

Monday or Sunday Elephant It means the mother will fill your life with good deeds, blessings, love and happiness
Saturday or Tuesday Horse  It’s a sign of danger and destruction,  there will be war between kings , destruction and social unrest in the society and political instability.
Thursday or Friday Palanquin It is represented by four men carrying a person and  it means outbreak of an epidemic. Unless, humans help each other and stand united, the upcoming epidemic would be their toughest journey ever.
Wednesday Boat To bless you with all the resources that you need to fulfill your desires. It indicates good harvest and floods as well. It foretells good harvest, heavy rain and flood. Flood may seem to be a bad omen but it also brings fertile soil to land which ensures good harvest.

 

Saptami

It starts with the setting of the auspicious banana plant which is supposed to bring life to Durga . This is called praandaan. The banana plant, traditionally recognised as Kala Bou, is depicted to be Ganesha’s wife. In essence it is actually called the Nabapatrika and is made of 9 basic plants.

Nabapatrika being an important part of Durga Puja, is worshipped as a respect to nature, agriculture and basic food crops represent the nine Goddesses, the nine forms of Devi Durga.

Banana plant or the “Kola Gaach” Brahmani
Colacassia plant Kalika
Turmeric plant Devi Durga
Jayanti Kartiki
Bel or wood apple Goddess Shiva
Pomegranate (Dalim Gaach) Raktadantika
Ashoka tree Sokrahita
Arum plant (“Maankochu”) Chamunda
Rice plant Lakshmi.

In the early hours of Saptami, the twigs of white “aparajita” plant  along with  nine bunches of yellow threads are used to tie the Nabapatrika. It is then bathed bathed with waters from 8 different holy places. Ganesh credited with making of 18 plants Ashtadashaushadhisrishti. Naba patrika symbolises Durga herself.  During the war, Devi Durga created ‘Ashtanayika’ (eight war partners). These eight goddesses and Devi herself symbolize “NavDurga”. The nine plants stand for each impersonation of the Goddess.

Ashtami

This puja prepares the Goddess for her face-off with the asura. The Sandhi Puja happens at midnight of Ashtami. This is also when 108 diyas are lit and 108 lotuses are offered – each for a different name of the goddess. The last 24 minutes of Ashtami and first 24 minutes of Navami is regarded as the Sandhikhan. This is the exact time at which Devi Durga slayed the notorious pair Chando and Munda, the two generals of Mahishasura. Chamunda.

In ancient times, it was a ritual to sacrifice animals in order to complete the Puja but now, only a symbolic sacrifice is performed with vegetables like banana, cucumber or pumpkin.

 

Nabami

According to Hindu scriptures, Kumari puja commemorates the killing of Kolasur by the goddess Kali. The helpless deities approached Mahakali for help and  she was born again. Kumari puja is believed to grant many blessings on worshippers. It is said to remove all dangers. The philosophical basis of Kumari puja is to establish the value of women. The maiden symbolizes the seed of the powers that regulate creation, stability and destruction. A maiden is the early symbol of womanhood or nature. In this worship the universal mother appears to the devotee in the shape of a maiden.Ramakrishna  worshipped his own wife in the image of a young maiden.