Durga Puja Oct 13-17

Fri, Sep 24th, 2010 8:53 pm BdST

Dhaka, Sep 24 (bdnews24.com) – Durga Puja will be observed from Oct 13 to Oct 17 at some 27,000 pavilions or Mandaps around the country, with 180 in the city, the festival organisers have said.

Bangladesh Puja Udjapon Parishad in a statement on Friday said the Puja festivities will take place in 1,000 pavilions more than the previous year.


The information was revealed at a meeting, headed by organisation president Subrata Chowdhur and attended by representatives from all the districts at the Dhakeshwari National Temple.

In the meeting, speakers also condemned vandalism of idols in different temples around the country.

Several prominent Hindu leaders including war commander retired major general C R Dutta, Parishad general secretary Mangal Chandra Ghosh, Mahanagar Sarbajanin Puja Committee president Biresh Chandra Saha, and general secretary Babul Devnath were present. 

GOTO : 
http://www.bdnews24.com/details.php?id=174292&cid=2 

Asian Paints Sharad Shamman (2008)

This years Asian Paints Sharad Shamman was also declared on the night of Ashtami. Unlike previous years, seven winners were declared judged by people from various artistic fields. Discovery of the Year was given as a joint winner to separate Puja pandals.
Winners:

• Best Puja : Telengabagan Sarbojanin
• Best Puja : Laketown Natunpally Pradip Sangha
• Best Puja : Tangra Gholpara Sarbojanin
• Discovery of the Year : Santoshpur Lakepally
• Discovery of the Year : Hatibagan Nabinpally
• Creative Excellence : Naktolla Udayan Sangha
• Best Artisan : Barisha Club (Shri Purnendu Sen)

Finalists

• Hatibagan Sarbojanin
• Bosepukur Talbagan
• Darpanarayan Tagore Street
• Laketown Adhibashibrindo
• Dum Dum Park Tarun Sangha

The panel of judges included Agnimitra Paul (fashion designer), Kaushik Sen (actor), Suman Chattopadhyay (journalist), Sanatan Dinda (painter), Locket Chatterjee (actor).

Preceded by Durga Puja 2007	Durga Puja 2008 October 6, 2008 - October 9, 2008	Succeeded by Durga Puja 2009
Asian Paints Sharad Shamman
Best Puja
Preceded by Pathuriaghata Pacher Pally Khidderpore 25 Pally Laketown Natunpally Pradip Sangha	Telengabagan Sarbojanin Tangra Gholpara Sarbojanin Laketown Natunpally Pradip Sangha October 2008	Succeeded by incumbent
Discovery of the Year
Preceded by Kankurgachi Mitali Sangha	Santoshpur Lakepally Hatibagan Nabinpally October 2008	Succeeded by incumbent
Creative Excellence
Preceded by New Alipore Suruchi Sangha	Naktolla Udayan Sangha October 2008	Succeeded by incumbent
Best Artisan
Preceded by Chakraberia Sarbojanin Shri Purnendu Dey	Barisha Club Shri Purnendu Dey October 2008	Succeeded by incumbent

Mahalaya ushers in the Puja spirit

TNN Sep 19, 2009, 06.37am IST

NEW DELHI: The nip in the early morning air is the first herald of Durga Puja. Come September, and Bengalis all over the world get ready to celebrate, starting off with Mahalaya.
According to legend, Goddess Durga visits the earth for only four days but seven days prior to the Pujas, starts Mahalaya. The enchanting voice of Birendra Krishna Bhadra fill up the predawn hours of the day thus marking the beginning of "Devipaksha'' and the beginning of the countdown of Durga Puja. Mahalaya is a kind of invocation or invitation to the mother goddess to descend on earth: "Jago Tumi Jago''.
The history of the Mahalaya broadcast is interesting. The concept started in the early 1930s, when AIR played the early morning programme, Mahisasura Mardini or The Annihilation of the Demon. The same programme has been running thereafter, and is a huge favourite with Bengalis. It's a beautiful audio montage of recitation from the scriptural verses of Chandi Kavya, Bengali devotional songs, classical music and a dash of acoustic melodrama. The programme has also been translated into Hindi, set to similar orchestration and is broadcast at the same time for a pan-Indian audience.

GOTO :

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2009-09-19/delhi/28094751_1_mahalaya-durga-puja-goddess-durga

Mahalaya in Bengal :

Mahalaya ushers in the aura of Durga Puja. The countdown for the Durga Puja begins much earlier, from the day of 'Ulto Rath'. It is only from the day of Mahalaya that the preparations for the Durga Puja reaches the final stage. Mahalaya is an auspicious occasion observed seven days before the Durga Puja, and heralds the advent of Durga, the goddess of supreme power. It's a kind of invocation or invitation to the mother goddess to descend on earth. This is done through the chanting of mantras. The day is being observed as Mahalaya, the day of invocation. In the dark night of amavasya (new moon), people pray to Goddess Durga to arrive in the earth to ward off all evils. On this auspicious day, people pray for the deceased relatives and take holy dip in the river Ganga - the act being called Tarpan. On the dawn of Mahalaya, homes in Bengal resonate with the immortal verses of the Chandipath (chanting from "Chandi"). Chanting of the hymns from the holy book of "Chandi" in the recorded voice of late Birendra Krishna Bhadra over radio has become synonymous to the real Chandipath. The Chandipath is aired by All India Radio in the programme Mahisasura Mardini, narrating the incarnation of Goddess Durga and her fight with Mahishasura. Since the early 1930s, Mahalaya has come to associate itself with an early morning radio program called "Mahishasura Mardini" (the annihilator of the demon Mahishasura). This All India Radio (AIR) program is a beautiful audio montage of recitation from the scriptural verses of "Chandi", Bengali devotional songs, classical music and a dash of acoustic melodrama. The program has also been translated into Hindi set to similar orchestration and is broadcast at the same time for a pan-Indian audience. For nearly six decades now, the whole of Bengal rises up in the chilly pre dawn hours, 4 am to be precise, of the Mahalaya day to tune in to the "Mahishasura Mardini" broadcast.
Chandipath narrates that She is the primeval source of power, all qualities reside in her. She is one and yet known by many names. She is Narayani, Brahmani, Maheshwari, Shivaduti and She is the fierceful Chamunda, decked with a garland of skulls. The Goddess Chandika is eternal. She has no birth, no definite physical form. She assumes a manifestation of majestic might only to restore the process of Creation from the terrible Asuras or evil incarnates. Mahisasura, the terrible king of the Asuras had defeated the gods and driven them out of Heaven. The gods, dejected and humiliated went to Brahma, the god of creation Vishnu, the God of preservation and Mahadeva, the God of destruction, to report their defeat. These three Gods projected their energy and evoked a new form of energy. This energy then crystallised into the heavenly form of a Goddess. She was Mahamaya, the Mother of the Universe. The emergence of the goddess was an auspicious moment. The Goddess then emerged in full battle array to combat Mahisasura. The Himalayas gifted Her the lion to act as her carrier, Vishnu gave her the Chakra , Mahadeva gave her the trident, Yama gave her the danda, Brahma gave her the rosary and the container of sacred water. Armed with weapons of all kinds, the Mother Goddess defeated the Asuras, thus ending the rule of evil forces. The occasion of Mahalaya, thus, always goes on reminding mankind of the divine scheme of things that the Evil may have had its say, but it is ultimately the Good that has the last laugh.
The explanation of Amavasya Mahalaya : Amavasya, or the day of the conjunction of the sun and the moon, occurs once every month and it is a day considered by the Hindus to be specially set apart for the offering of oblations and the performance of religious ceremonies to the Pitris or the spirits of the departed ancestors. Such being the general beliefs, what is the reason for the Hindus paying greater attention to the Mahalaya  Amavasya, or the new moon day of the month of Kanya when the sun is in the sign Virgo ? The Itihasa, a great authority on the religious rites of the Hindus, says that the moment the sun enters the sign Virgo (Kanya) the departed spirits, leaving their abode in the world of Yama, the Destroyer, come down to the world of man and occupy the houses of their descendants in this world or as it is said in Sanskrit, Kanya yate surye pitaras tishtanti sve grihe. Therefore the fortnight preceding the new moon of the month of Kanya  is considered as the fortnight which is specially sacred to the propitiation of the Manes or departed spirits. Dine dine gaya tulyam - The ceremonies in honour of the Manes performed during each day of this fortnight are considered to be equal to the ceremonies performed in the sacred city of Gaya. But instead of performing these rites on each of the days of the fortnight, most Hindus do so only on one of the days. Orthodox Hindus, however, perform ceremonies on every one of the days of this fortnight. These ceremonies terminate on the Mahalaya Amavasya day, which is therefore observed with greater sanctity than other new moon days. If, through unavoidable causes, any Hindu is not able to perform his Mahalaya rites during the course of the fortnight preceding the Mahalaya Amavasya, he is allowed as a concession to perform the same in the fortnight succeeding this new moon, because it is said that the Manes continue to linger in his house, expecting him to perform the ceremonies, till the sun enters the sign Scorpio (Vrishchika), i.e. till about the next full moon day. If even by that time a Hindu has not performed these ceremonies to the Manes they are said to become disgusted with him and return to the world of Yama after cursing their descendants in this world. Vrishchika darshanat yanti nirasa pitaro gatah.
Such is the belief about the Mahalaya Amavasya and the two lunar fortnights which precede and succeed it. The month of Kanya  is thus reserved for the worship of departed spirits and the most propitious portion of the month for such worship is the fortnight preceding the Mahalaya Amavasya. Generally speaking, every Hindu strictly observes his Mahalaya. If he is careless about it, he will find it difficult to have a peaceful time with the old ladies in his house.