The auspicious occasion of Mahalaya marks the beginning of Devipaksha or Durga Pujo. It brings with it the smell and essence of the commencement of the year's biggest festival of Bengalis. As wild white kash phoolKans grass in full bloom sweeps every household with the feeling that Maa Durga is coming home, celebrations already start ringing in the hearts of every Bengali.
However, Hindus observe Mahalaya as the ending of Pitru Paksha, also known as Shradh or Shraddh and the beginning of Devi Paksha. Pitru Paksha is a 15-day period when Hindus pay homage to their ancestors. This year, Mahalaya will be celebrated on September 25, 2022.
Significance For Bengalis
It is believed that on this day Maa Durga starts her journey from Mt. Kailash where she resides with Lord Shiva to her maternal home- Earth. Her homecoming along with her children- Ganesha, Lakshmi, Saraswati, and Kartik- marks the week-long Durga puja festival celebrations for Bengalis that end on dashami (10th day). Mahalaya brings with it the ‘pujo-pujo’ feels.
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Rituals of Mahalaya
A Mahalaya morning in a Bengali household begins with the Sanskrit recitation of the agomoni (an audio montage) in the voice of late radio broadcaster, actor, playwright and theatre director, Birendra Kishore Bhadra. Every Bengali sets their radios at the All India Radio Calcutta (now Kolkata) at 4:00 am to listen to the Mahishashura Mardini, India’s oldest radio show which is a collection of shlokas and songs. Bengalis wake up to jago tumi jago (you wake up).
At the dawn of Mahalaya the artisans bring the Durga idols to a completion by drawing the eye of the idol. This is known as ‘chokkhu daan’ or eye donation. For Durga pujos that take place in the bonedi baris or age-old family pujos, the eldest son or the head of the family do it.
Other than audio, Mahishashur Mardini also takes place across all Bengali television channels featuring popular Bengali actors as Maa Durga playing Mahishashura Mardini in Bhadra’s voice. They enact the entire story of Maa Durga as narrated by Bhadra in the audio.
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On the same early morning, many people perform death rites called ‘tarpan’ to offer prayers and pay homage to the departed souls of their ancestors using food (bhog) and water by the ghats of Ganga. For places where Ganga is not available, they do it by the ghats of any river or water body available.