Devi Durga is considered as the divine mother, the goddess who provides and protects for her subjects. In Hindu belief Goddess Durga is considered as the creation, sustenance, and annihilation. Her emergence in the Hindu scriptures lies in the mythological war saga of Mahishasura or the ultimate Monster enemy of the universe and the Gods from the heaven. In Hinduism Devi Durga won this battle and freed the entire universe from eternal torment.
The festival runs for five days and often is run for two more days to organize the grand Durga Carnival. Here are some amazing facts of this festival: · According to old iconographies the goddess is seen riding a lion, having ten arms holding Sword, Conch, Discus, Rosary, Bell, Winecup, Shielf, Bow, Arrow, and Spear. · This festival is centuries old; Goddess Durga has been worshipped from about 400 AD. The Ramayana and The Mahabharata epic and Puranic texts show the literary references of her. · The Street Art Festival is accounted as even greater in size than Rio Carnival or Oktoberfest based on the footfalls. · This festival witnesses various cultural rituals such as, “Dhunuchi Nach” or the fire-pot dance, “Anjali” or offerings to the Goddess, “Dhaker Lorai” or Traditional drum concours etc.
To sum up the entire festival directory, the festival starts with ‘Mahalaya’- the day when the artisans draw eyes on the idols of Goddess. In the following week the entire state and city decks up in colors, lights, and tinsels etc. After the final touches in building the most extravagant festive atmosphere, the real beauty begins with the first day of Puja called ‘Shashthi’. The city’s royal houses of the zamindars called ‘Bonedi Bari’ and the public Puja Pandals or the ‘Barowari Puja’ find their way to shine bright in their own ways.
Bengal especially its capital, the ‘City of Joy’: Kolkata rejoices the notion that Goddess arrives at her maternal home each year in the time of autumn. Businesses witness a surge by manifold in their profit, as retail to grocery all sectors boom. Not just the economy, this magnificent affair influences deeper cultural bonding, smoother communication within the communities and a boundless platform for the Art to bloom and grow. The sense of transience in building semi-permanent art installations, idols and decorations, gives the Street Art Festival a new outlook on the futility yet grandeur of human life.
