| Sharad Utsav as Durga Puja is also called because of the Sharad or autumn season in which it is celebrated has been a favourite festival of Bengalis since time immemorial. The festival that begins from the day after Mahalaya continues for ten days, with the celebrations reaching a frenzied peak during five days of Sasthi, Saptami, Ashtami, Navami and Dashami the sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth days after the full moon, which heralds the beginning of Devi Paksha.
The main Puja begins on the evening of 'Sasthi', the sixth day after the new moon, generally from beneath a 'Bel' tree. In the wee hours of 'Saptami,' the next day, the 'Pran' or life of the Devi is brought from a nearby pond or river in a banana tree and established inside the image. The main Puja starts thereafter and the prime time is reached in the 'Sandhikshan,' the crossover time between Ashtami and Navami. Finally, on 'Dashami,' the tenth day from the new moon, the image is immersed in a pond or river.
|
