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Mahasaptami

Durga Puja is a celebration that stirs up the hearts and emotions of the people of Eastern India, particularly Bengalis. Goddess Durga is the most influential of all goddesses and is said to have lots of avatars. Some of her famous forms have been as Kalika, Shakamvari, and Uma who wedded Lord Shiva.

On the seventh day, i.e. mahasaptami, people wake up early and on an empty stomach, they present prayers to the goddess. After the prayers are over, mahasaptami Prasad is offered to the deity. During the lunch time, special meal of mahasaptami is served to all those, who assemble in the pandals. If you visit the pandals during the mahasaptami evenings, the view is very pleasing, as people with bright faces are dressed in colorful clothes. The stunning clothes and ornaments, fantastic lighting, beating of drums, whining of birds and chitchatting of people will set the mood for mahasaptami revels.

The mahasaptami rituals are the same as also the passion and shraddha with which the puja is performed. This is one time in the year when the whole extensive family gets jointly for five days. Even a family mahasaptami puja is a big affair, arrangements for which start around two months before.

The second day is mahasaptami, when the same pattern follows, the Devi is offered one bhog, which includes a piece of fish, and Lord Shiva and Narayan are offered a vegetarian bhog. The complete family dresses up in new clothes and participates in the mahasaptami arti performed by the purohit to the accompaniment of the dhak (beating of drums) and ringing of bells and blowing the conch shell. Meals are offered to a large number of visitors and also mahasaptami prasad which generally fresh fruit.

Mahasaptami is the first day of Durga puja. Kola Bow or Nabapatrika is given a pre dawn bath. This is an early mahasaptami ritual of worshiping nine types of plants. They are jointly worshiped as a sign of the goddess. The main mahasaptami Puja follows Kalparambho and Mahasnan.

With the first rays of the sun on Maha Saptami (the seventh day), a tree is dressed as the Goddess Durga herself in yellow silk cloth with a red border. The tree deemed to be the Goddess then becomes the spotlight attraction for the rest of the festival. The priest carries the tree in a grand procession to the Durga Puja pandal (big tent) accompanied by the drummers to welcome the Goddess. A platform is set up with an idol of Lord Ganesha already seated there.

The tree-goddess is then installed beside the God of good fortune and then worshipped. The Kola Bow or Nabapatrika receives a holy bath, which is performed well before the dawn, on saptami. In this ritual, nine types of plants are worshipped as a symbol of Goddess Durga. Kalparambho and Mahasnan are preceded by the mahasaptami puja.