Assam Welcomes Durga Puja with Maha Shashthi Festivities and Vibrant Traditions

Staff Reporter

Guwahati: Durga Puja festivities have reached a crescendo across Assam, as devotees make last-minute preparations to host Ma Durga and Her entourage on her annual sojourn to Earth. Preparations for Saradiya Durga Puja have reached the final stage as Guwahati and other parts of the state gear up for five days of rituals, cultural activities and community celebrations. 

Community puja committees in Guwahati have been seen busy completing arrangements for elaborately decorated pandals, artistic idols of Goddess Durga and colourful illumination. 

More than 550 pujas are expected to be organised in the city this year, with 550 puja committees having obtained permission from the police. Last year, 506 pujas were organised.

Meanwhile, Maha Shashthi, which marks the ceremonial beginning of the main Durga Puja festivities, will be observed on Friday. This will mark the ceremonial welcome and awakening of Goddess Durga. Rituals such as Kalparambha, Bodhan, Amantran and Adhivas are performed.

Following Maha Shashthi, the principal observances will continue through Maha Saptami, Maha Ashtami and Maha Navami, culminating with Vijayadashami on October 21, when the festival will conclude with traditional rituals and idol immersion in accordance with local customs.

Across Assam, the festivities bring together religious devotion, artistic expression and community participation. 

From urban pandals in Guwahati to centuries-old temple traditions in other places, the celebrations highlight Assam's diverse religious and cultural heritage.

According to traditional belief, Goddess Durga's mode of arrival on Earth and departure after Durga Puja is believed to symbolise the prospects of peace, prosperity, rainfall and agricultural production during the year.

This year, the goddess is believed to arrive on horseback and depart by boat. According to conventional interpretations, arrival on a horse is associated with social and political instability, while departure by boat is linked to agricultural developments and the possibility of excessive rainfall or flooding. 

The goddess's vehicles are traditionally determined by the weekdays on which specific occasions associated with Durga Puja fall. An elephant is  considered auspicious and is associated with prosperity, peace and favourable rainfall. A horse, by contrast, is traditionally linked to unrest and instability, while a boat is associated with agricultural growth and water-related developments.

Interestingly, Maha Saptami this year will be observed on both October 17 and 18. Meanwhile, with the commencement of Maha Shashthi, excitement surrounding Durga Puja is expected to intensify across Assam over the coming days. 

Preparations are also underway at the historic Sri Sri Ishwari Hargauri Devalaya, a prominent Shakti shrine in North Assam. The deity at the temple was consecrated in 1722, and the annual Durga Puja is observed in accordance with long-standing religious traditions. The shrine has been attracting devotees ahead of the festival.

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