Mahalaya, which marks the beginning of Durga Puja festival, is being celebrated on Sunday across Assam.
It is the last day to pay tribute to the departed ancestors by performing Tarpan where water is offered to the ancestors’ store on the banks of Ganga.
This means that the beginning of Devipaksha (the era of the goddess) and is observed on the last day of Pitripaksha (the 16-day lunar day period when Hindus pay homage to their ancestors/Pitrs).
It is believed that on this day, Goddess Durga, along with her children-Lakshmi, Kartik, Saraswati and Ganesha, comes from Kailash on a boat, elephant or horse to her maternal house on earth.
It is also believed that within ten days, Goddess Durga removed demons from the earth and blessed her devotees.
Durga Puja begins on the seventh day of Mahalaya and ends on the tenth day. During the beginning of Mahalaya, devotees get up early in the morning to worship Goddess Durga.
Mahalaya has a deep connection with Durga Puja. On this day, the idol makers give the final touch to the goddess.
Meanwhile, pandal makers have started to complete to finish the pandals within this week as Durga Puja festival is just a few days away.
The Rest camp, Shantipur, Latasil, Nayantara, Bishnupur, Ganeshguri, Chatribari, Nambari, are some of the puja mandaps where the mandaps are decorated in different themes.
Moreover, the malls, shops, and so on have started to gather crowds.
