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History of Durga Puja Celebrations

BY SUMIT RAY

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The festival tradition of Durga Puja goes back 250 years to the time when the British won their first
major battle in India and was started indirectly because of them!

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Early in the morning of the day of Mahalaya, seven days before the actual start of the Pujas, Devi-
worshippers awaken to the recitation of Mahisasurmardini, a 2-hour excerpt from the scriptures of
Durga. In the 20th century this has been brought inside our homes through All India Radio, which has
been running this programme every year since 1930, which in itself is historical!

Following this begins the 5-day extravaganza of Durga Puja, one of the most popular and most lavish of
celebrations in India. The very nature of the celebration is to combine the religious with the worldly,
making it part-ceremony and part-festival. The main days of the Puja are the Maha Sashti, Maha
Saptami, Maha Ashtami, Maha Navami, and Bijay Dashami.

Beginnings of the Puja Tradition

Durga Puja, as we know it now, is a grand affair, with every locality organizing their own Puja. Hundreds
- and, in Calcutta, sometimes hundreds of thousands - of visitors throng these celebrations to
participate, eat, socialize and to simply have a good time. Few, if any, celebrations in India take place on
such a vast scale and with such universal appeal.

The carnival-esque nature of the Durga Puja is said to go back to the mid-18th century, a time when the

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British East India Company was a fledgling operation with little inkling of the colossus it was to become
over the next century. Under the command of Robert Clive, the British forces had just defeated the ruler
of Bengal, Nawab Siraj-ud-Daulah, at the Battle of Plassey and become the rulers of a major portion of
Eastern India.

Robert Clive, now the administrator of the region, wished to address his new subjects but was unable to
find a suitable venue, the church and other European institutions having been destroyed by the war. He
chose, therefore, to attend a social gathering at teh house of Raja Nabakrishna Deb, a prominent
Bengali zamindar (land-owner). It was time for the annual Durga Puja and the scale of the festivities was
ramped up suitably for the benefit of the British

Following the success of this event, other rich households began preparing their own Pujas. Needless to
say, the pomp and show of the ceremonies increased year after year as zamindars competed to put on
the best show and attract the most guests. Soon Durga Puja became the social event of the year for
many.

Pujas for the Masses

For many years the Puja was the prerogative of rich families who held it within their palatial houses. But
gradually, from the late-19th century onwards, the emerging middle-class started Sarbojanin,
or community, Pujas where people of a neighbourhood donated money to fund a local Puja. Temporary
tents, called Pandals, were constructed and all were welcome. The spirit of competition remained
though, with different neighbourhoods competing to put up the best Puja.

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The Multi-National Puja

Now, of course, the tradition of the Puja has broken all boundaries, being celebrated across India and
even abroad. Indian communities of the USA, UK, and South Asia fly in idol-makers and musicians, along
with all the paraphernalia needed for the event. Their success can be seen by their ability to replicate
Bengali-style Pujas down to the minutest detail!

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