Maha Navami, the fourth day of Sharadiyo Durga Puja, is being celebrated by offering puja followed by anjali to Goddess Durga and sacrificing pumpkins, bananas and cucumbers at temples and makeshift mandaps across the country.
On Maha Navami, Goddess Durga is worshipped as Mahisasuramardini which means the Annihilator of the Buffalo Demon. It is believed that on Maha Navami day Goddess Durga killed the demon Mahishasura.
Maha Navami is the penultimate day of Navratri, and it is dedicated to worshipping the goddess Durga, who is believed to have manifested her full divine power by this day. It is also the day when Durga is believed to have defeated the buffalo demon Mahishasura, symbolizing the triumph of good over evil.
In the morning, devotees performed different rituals and prayers to honour the goddess Durga as Maha Navami puja was offered.
Navami puja typically follows a specific sequence, involving the recitation of mantras and the offering of various items, such as fruits, sweets, incense, and lamps.
In different temples, animals are sacrificed on this day as an offering to the goddess.
Bali (Sacrifice) is an essential aspect of the puja as it invokes power, said a priest Sadhan Chakrabarty.
He said as the Hindus worship Goddess Durga, who is the embodiment of shakti (power), it is essential to incorporate bali in puja, but it does not have to be an animal, he said.
Earlier, people preferred animal sacrifice because of certain socio-economic reasons, but now most of the temples and mandaps prefer to use vegetables or fruits in Bali, he added.
On Navami, Dunuchi Nach draws a special attraction as this is one of the most exciting rituals of the Durga Puja.
Clay pots are filled with smoking charcoal. Some people take the pot in their hands and start dancing.
The daredevils try to balance the clay pot on their heads. Some who wish to be even more adventurous attempt to hold the pot through their teeth! Earlier the dhunuchi nach was performed only by men.
However, nowadays women are also emerging as dhunuchi dance experts.
Talking to BSS, Ramna Kali Temple managing committee president Utpal Saha said puja was offered at the temple in the morning followed by offering of anjali by devotees and the distribution of prashad among a huge number of devotees there.
An arati competition (dhunuchi dance) will begin in the evening which will see dance performance by devotees holding dhunuchi in their hands, he said.
Temples and mandaps will see the highest number of devotees and visitors on Monday as the five-day festival will come to an end tomorrow with the immersion of idols tomorrow on the final day of Bijaya Dashami.
On Sunday, Maha Ashtami, the third day of the five-day Sharadiyo Durga Puja, was celebrated amid different rituals including offering of Anjali, Kumari and Sandhi Puja at temples since morning.
In the morning, Goddess Durga was offered puja followed by offering anjali by devotees and distribution of prashad among them at temples and makeshift pandals across the country including the capital Dhaka.
Kumari Puja, a special ritual of Durga Puja, was held at Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Math, Dhaka this morning as five-year-old Shatakkhi Goswami attired with traditional sharee was worshipped in the mould of Uma, said Premananda Maharaj of the mission.
During this puja, a prepubescent girl is worshipped as the living incarnation or avatar of Maa Durga. She is dressed in new clothes and floral ornaments. This ritual has its origins in the Hindu Puranas.
