Durga Puja sets in with Mahalaya

TheGoddess Durga has begun her descent to this World for the durga Puja afterhaving vanquished the evil demon Mahishasura, as the Mahalaya is celebrated allover.

Toremind us of this victory, we have the auspicious day of 'Mahalaya' and iconic recitationby Birendra Krishna Bhadra could be heard from every corner.

Not only does this annual event hold a religious and spiritual significance, it also reminds us of the power of truth, of courage and of the universal fact that in the end, but good will also always triumph over evil.

Whatis Mahalaya?

Tobegin with, the day of Mahalaya marks the beginning of Devi Paksha and the endof the Pitri Paksha, the latter of which, is a period of mourning. Hindusconsider Pitri Paksha to be inauspicious, because shradhh or death rites areperformed during this period. It is a 16-day lunar period during which peopleremember and pay homage to their ancestors using food and water offerings.

Itis believed Goddess Durga undertakes this week-long journey with her children —Ganesha, Kartik, Lakshmi and Saraswati — on a vehicle of her choice. It couldbe a palanquin, or a boat, an elephant or a horse.

Mahalayais celebrated roughly seven days before Durga Puja. Every Bengali and Assamesehousehold wakes up early in the morning — even before the sun — to customarilylisten to a collection of songs and mantras called 'Mahishasura Mardini', inthe sonorous voice of Birendra Krishna Bhadra. These mantras invoke theGoddess; the most famous one being Jago Tumi Jago (meaning, 'awaken, ohGoddess!')