Durga

Durga (Maa Durga)
Devanagari	दुर्गा

In Hinduism, Durga (Template:Lang-sa, Template:Lang-bn) is a form of Devi, the supreme goddess. In Bengal, she is said to be the mother of Ganesha, Kartikeya as well of Saraswati and Lakshmi.

Durga is depicted as a warrior woman riding a lion or a tiger with multiple hands carrying weapons and assuming mudras, or symbolic hand gestures. This form of the Goddess is the embodiment of feminine and creative energy (Shakti).

Durga in the Hindu tradition

According to the narrative from the Devi Mahatmya of the Markandeya Purana, the form of Durga was created as a warrior goddess to fight a demon. The demon's father Rambha, king of the demons, once fell in love with a water buffalo, and Mahishasur was born out of this union. He is therefore able to change between human and buffalo form at will (mahisha means "buffalo"). Through intense prayers to Brahma, Mahishasura had the boon that he could not be defeated by any man or god. He unleashed a reign of terror on earth, heaven and the nether worlds.

Eventually, since only a woman could kill him, the trinity bestowed a dazzling beam of energy upon the Goddess Trinity (Saraswati, Lakshmi, and Parvati), transforming her into the goddess, Durga. Her form was blindingly beautiful with three lotus-like eyes, eight powerful hands, lush black hair with beautiful curls, a red-golden glow from her skin and a quarter moon on her forehead. She wore a shiny oceanic blue attire emitting fierce rays. Her ornaments were carved beautifully of gold, with ocean pearls and precious stones embedded in it. Her face was sculpted by Shiva, torso by Indra, breasts by Chandra (the moon), teeth by Brahma, bottom by the Earth, thighs and knees by Varuna (water), and her three eyes by Agni (fire). Each god also gave her their own most powerful weapons, Rudra's trident, Vishnu's discus, Indra's thunderbolt, Brahma's kamandal, Kuber's gada, etc. Himalayas gifted her a fierce whitish golden lion. On the end of the 8th and beginning of the 9th day of waxing moon, Chanda and Munda came to fight the goddess. She turned blue with anger and goddess Chamunda leaped out of her third eye. Her form was the most powerful one with 3 red eyes, blood-filled tongue and dark skin; who finally killed the twin demons with her sword. This form of the divine goddess is worshipped during the sandhikshan of Durga Puja festival, as sandhi/chandi puja. Finally on the tenth day of waxing moon, goddess Durga killed Mahishasura with her trident.

The word Shakti, meaning strength, reflects the warrior aspect of the goddess, embodying a traditional male role. She is also strikingly beautiful, and initially Mahishasura tries to marry her. Other incarnations include Annapurna and Karunamayi (karuna = kindness).

The Worship of Durga

A priest worshipping a contemporary image of Durga during Durga Puja

The 4 day Durga Puja is the biggest annual festival in Bengal and other parts of Eastern India, but it is celebrated in various forms throughout the Hindu universe.

The day of Durga's victory is celebrated as Vijaya Dashami (East and South India), Dashain (Nepal) or Dussehra (North India) - these words literally mean "the tenth" (day), vijaya means "of-victory". In Kashmir she is worshipped as shaarika (the main temple is in Hari Parbat in Srinagar).

The actual period of the worship however may be on the preceding nine days followed by the last day called Vijayadashami in North India or five days in Bengal, (from the sixth to tenth day of the waxing-moon fortnight). Nine aspects of Durga known as Navadurga are meditated upon, one by one during the nine-day festival by devout shakti worshippers.

In North India, this tenth day, signifying Rama's victory in his battle against the demon Ravana, is celebrated as Dussehra - gigantic straw effigies of Ravana are burnt in designated open spaces (e.g. Delhi's Ram Lila grounds), watched by thousands of families and little children.

In Gujarat it is celebrated as the last day of Navaratri, during which the Garba dance is performed to celebrate the vigorous victory of Mahishasura-mardini Durga.

The Goddess Durga worshipped in her peaceful form as Shree Shantadurga also known as santeri , is the patron Goddess of Goa. She is worshipped by all Goan Hindus irrespective of caste and even by some Christians in Goa.

Goddess Durga is worshipped in many temples of Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka.

List of Durga temples in India

Durga sculpture, British Museum

• DurgaKund Temple in Varanasi , the biggest of all durga temples
• Matrimandir in the city of Auroville near Pondicherry in Tamil Nadu.
• Sri Durga Parameshwari Mata Mandir,Karla
• Ambika Mata Temple in the village of Jagat near Mount Abu in Rajasthan, India.
• Bhairabi Devalaya, in Tezpur, Assam
• Sri Vijaya Durga Saunsthan, Keri, GOA
• Sri Durga Parameshwari Temple, Kateel, Karnataka
• Sri Durga Parameshwari Temple, Kamalashile, Karnataka
• Sri Durga Temple, Kunjarugiri, Udupi, Karnataka
• Sri Durga Parameshwari Temple, Talapady, Karnataka
• Mahishamardhini Temple, Kadiyali, Udupi, Karnataka
• Shree Durga Parameshwari Temple, Mundkur, Karnataka
• Shree Durga Parameshwari Temple, Bayer, Kasargod dt. Kerela
• Kalighat Temple, Kolkata.
• Kamakhya Temple, Guwahati, Assam
• Devi Dol, Sibsagar, Assam
• Devi Dol, Gaurisagar, Assam
• Kanaka Durga Temple, Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh
• Amba Bhavani Temple, Tuljapur, Maharashtra
• Shanta Durga temple in Goa
• Sri Patteeshwaram Durgai Temple. (Believed to be worshipped by Great Chola Dynasty before any war.) Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu
• Sri Kathiraamangalam Temple (Goddess is Swayamboo and Many sages did their Japa's here, including Guru Dhronacharya.) Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu
• Shri Vindhyavasini Temple, Vindhyachal
• Shri Bramarambika Temple, Srisailam, Andhra Pradesh
• Shri Maha Kaleshwari Temple, UJJAIN, Madhya Pradesh
• Shri Jogulamba Temple,Alampur, Kurnool District, Andhra Pradesh
• Shri Gnana Prasunaambika Temple, Srikalahasti, Andhra
• Shri Siddha Peeth Durga Devi Temple, Kasi/Varanasi, Uttar PRADESH
• Shri Mahishashuramardhini Temple, Thiruthani, Tamil Nadu
• Shri Maihar Devi, Maihar, Madhya Pradesh
• Shri Annapurna Devi Temple, Kashi/Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh
• Shri Vaishno Devi, Katra, Jammu and Kashmir
• Jamwa Mata temple at Jamwa Ramgarh district Jaipur Rajasthan
• Shila Devi temple at Amber Jaipur Rajasthan
• Sri Katyayani Peeth Temple at Vrindaban.
• Sri Adya Katyayani Mandir,Chattarpur, New Delhi
• Sri Kalka Ji Mandir,Kalkaji, New Delhi
• Sri Sheetla Mata Mandir,Gurgaon
• Thrikkavu Shri Durga Bhagavathy Temple,Ponnani,Kerala[1]
• Amba Mata Temple, Mount Girnar, Junagadh, Gujarat [and here she is mounted on a lion]

See also

• Durga Puja
• Hindu Goddess
• Kala, husband of Durga in Javanese mythology.
• List of woman warriors in legend and mythology
• Their are number of shree Santeri temples are in Sattari taluka of Goa.One of the most important temple of Shree Santeri Brahmani Maya which is situated at Sawant wada Parye sattari. The newly constructed temple is about 5 Kms from Sankhalim town and about 40 Kms Panjim capital city The mahajan of this temple are Sawant parienkar family.

Further reading

• Durga Puja: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow, Sudeshna Banerjee, Rupa and Co, Calcutta, 2004. (ISBN 81-291-0547-0)
• Hindu Goddesses: Vision of the Divine Feminine in the Hindu Religious Traditions, David Kinsley. (ISBN 81-208-0379-5)
• Grace and Mercy in Her Wild Hair : Selected Poems to the Mother Goddess, Ramprasad Sen (1720-1781). (ISBN 0-934252-94-7)
• Durga Puja Beginner, Swami Satyananda Saraswati, Devi Mandir, 2001. (ISBN 1-887472-89-4)
• "Chandi Path", Swami Satyananda Saraswati, Devi Mandir (ISBN 1-877795-52-6)
• "Chandi Path: Study of Chapter One", Swami Satyananda Saraswati, Devi Mandir (ISBN 1-877795-58-5)
• "Chandi Path: Study of Chapter Two", Swami Satyananda Saraswati, Devi Mandir (ISBN 1-877795-60-7)
• "Pronunciation and the Chandi Samputs", Swami Satyananda Saraswati, Devi Mandir (ISBN 1-877795-61-5)
• "Devi Gita", Swami Satyananda Saraswati, Devi Mandir (ISBN 1-877795-56-9)