Durga Puja is one of the most important Hindu festivals in India, celebrated with great vigor and devotion. The festival is celebrated for ten days in Ashwin month of Hindu calendar. It usually falls in the month of September and October. DurgaPooja celebration involves worshiping of Goddess Durga, the ten armed Goddess riding the lion. Last four days called as Saptami, Ashtami, Navami and Dashami
are being celebrated with much aplomb and gaiety. The day is also observed to commemorate Lord’s Ram’s first invocation of Goddess Durga when he was preparing to wage war with the king of Lanka, Ravana. The legend has it that Lord Ram invoked Goddess Durga, also known as the slayer of the buffalo-demon, by lighting 108 lamps and offering 108 blue lotuses before going to war. Today, the celebration of Durga Puja has more evolved into popular culture of Bengal and special occasion for family reunion and social gatherings. The origin of celebrating DurgaPooja in Bengal dates back to 16th century AD. According to legends, the landlords of Malda and Dinajpur started Durga Puja for the first time in the state of Bengal. However, according to some sources it is said that Bhabananda Mazumdar of Nadiya or Raja Kangshanarayan of Taherpur first initiated autumn Durga Puja or Sharadiya, as it is called in Bengali. Over the years, the celebration has taken the form of mass festivity called as Barowari Puja when twelve friends of Guptipara in Bengal came together to organize a collective Puja called as ‘twelve-pal’ or Barowari Puja in 1790. This collective form of celebrating Durga Puja was first initiated in Kolkata by Raja Harinath of Cossimbazar in 1832. Gradually by 1910, this collective form of celebrating Durga Puja evolved into community celebration known as Sarbajanin Durga Puja.