Bengal is a vivid and diverse religious state of India, which is enriched in Cultures and traditions connected with grand religious festivals, which are celebrated throughout Bengal in order of different seasons. Among these, Durga and Kali puja are more important socio-cultural and traditional vibrant festivals in Bengal. These Pujas juxtapose the Bengali Hindu people in a shadow of Cultural and traditional phenomena and lead them to universal brotherhood and communal harmony which emerge as a spirituality in Hindu society.

Bengal is widely known for its iconic and greatest rituals of the greatest festival, Durga Puja; both are celebrations of Bengali culture and tradition.

Historical background of Durga and Kali Puja

Durga Puja, also known as Durgotsava, is an annual festival celebrated to worship Devi Durga. This pooja is the biggest festival in Kolkata. It was first performed by the Chaudhury family in 1610 by Sabarna Roy at their original residence in Barisha Kolkata. After that, this puja was started in Shobhabazar Rajbari in 1757 by Nabakrishna Dev.

During the twentieth century, Durga Puja was divided among the people. Mostly common people perform bharwari Durga Puja and earlier Durga Puja was performed by wealthy families in Kolkata. The first Barwani Durga Puja was started by Bhowanipore Sanatan Dhartmatsahini Sabha at Balram Basu Ghat Road in Bhawanipur.

On the other hand, Kali Puja also known as Sharma Puja or MHA Nisha Puja festival of the Indian subcontinent is dedicated to the goddess Kali in the Hindu religion. This puja is celebrated during the new moon day of the Hindu calendar. But the Kali Puja is celebrated popularly in West Bengal as a Hindu cultural and traditional festival.

Firstly, Kali Puja was initiated by Krishna Nanda agama bagisha before the 16th century. During the 18th century, this pooja was performed and spread through King Krishna Chandra of Nabadwip. Within the 19th century, Kali puja became prominent and significant among the Bengali Hindu festivals.

Significance of Durga and Kali

Durga Puja is celebrated in Bengal for 5 days Shastri saptami Ashtami navami and Vijayadashami. Durga, the mother goddess, killed the buffalo Demon Mahishasura.

And she is blessed with the powers of Trimurti ( Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, and other gods). One of the most significant features of Durga is that she performs the Dhunuchi Naach Aarti during revenge and killing evils. There are various features during the celebration of Puja viz. Dhup Aarti Dashami bhog ritual and Kumari Puja ritual.

Kali Puja is also a permanent Devi in the Hindu religion. She is prescribed offerings of red hibiscus flowers, sweets, rice, and lentils. During the Kali Puja animals are sacrificed ritually in offering to the goddess. In Kolkata Kali Puja is held in a large cremation ground stop in Bengal Kali Puja is celebrated in different regions such as Barasat Barrackpore Naihati and Madhyamgram. And Dhupguri, Dinhata, and Coochbehar in the North Bengal region.

Kali is the great Goddess of time, who symbolizes death, rebirth, and cosmic cyclicity as the mother of the universe. Her home is assimilation with both the fertile source of all creation and devouring maw, that takes back what is birthed. She is dynamic and juxtaposes good and evil fear and impure and challenges devotees to accept these binaries to truly know her. She holds a sword in one hand and a severe head while offering fairness and bleaching illustrating her roles as destroyer and nurture. She wears a garland, a necklace of skull heads expressed by Mansi's patient and liberation from illusions.

Feature of Devi Kali

Kali is dark and yet beautiful. According to June Mc, Daniel notes, “ Kali is a strange and mercurial figure”. In North Western India she is thin and ugly, while in Bengal she is voluptuous with large eyes and full lips. In some areas of India in some areas of India she is a tribal and village goddess who protects a group of people, or a geographical region and an ancestress who grants the desire of her people.

Kalighat temple in Kolkata

Kalighat is one of the most significant places of goddess Kali which is established on the bank of Hooghly River in Kolkata and thousands of pilgrims visit every day. She is dark and yet beat for she is the perfection of youth, charming and feminine beauty. Kalighat and Dakshineswar are prominent temples of the Hindu religion in Kolkata. Where the rituals are frequently performed by offerings, tantrik, Mantra practices, and various acts in surrendering to Kali.

Emergence of feminine power

Durga and Kali Puja celebrations not only cover the Hindu tradition and culture but also impose the emergence of feminine power in the mythology of Hindutva. In Hindu mythology, Devi Durga is empowered by Trimurti, Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, and along with other gods. Thus, she represents the ultimate power and righteousness Durga is known for as Adi-Shakti, which means she is the owner of half power of the world and Kumari Puja is also an embodiment of Durga.

Thus, Kali is also a great figure in Hindu festivals in Bengal. She is a destroyer of evil and removes ignorance from the world. Both of them are nurturers and sustainers of the universe by balancing evil and good, purity and impurity, birth and death, and so on.

Qualities of the Kali Goddess

The worship of the Goddess at Sharanya emphasizes five key qualities that shape her divine essence and spiritual significance. These qualities are interconnected and form a holistic framework for understanding her role in transcending conventional paradigms.

The first quality is antinomian, it is the Goddess that exists outside mainstream norms, challenging established conceptions. Encourages questioning societal conventions and unspoken agreements about life, values, ethics, and morals. Creates a space for embracing the full spectrum of human existence without censorship. Inspires defiance against conventional boundaries to achieve spiritual and personal liberation. The second quality is relational, in that she fosters connection across divides and unites opposites. Build bridges between differences such as gender, race, culture, species, and age. Facilitates new understandings of the union between the Sacred Female and Sacred Male. Promotes inclusivity, transcending dualities to create harmony and deeper unity.

The third quality is that the Goddess represents sacred matter and the immanence of the Spirit. Embodies the sacredness of the Earth and physical reality. Honors ancestral wisdom as the foundation for modern consciousness. Demands acknowledgment of past legacies to synthesize, transcend, and realize shared aspirations. Forth is Cyclical, She is a symbol of non-linear time and spiraling space. Represents the cycles of Life-Death-Rebirth and Creation-Preservation-Destruction-Transformation. Guides humanity towards a deeper awareness of temporal and cosmic rhythms. Encourages embracing fluid, evolving realities rather than rigid, linear constructs. Fifth is Chthonic, The Goddess connects to the primal, underworld aspects of existence. Aligns with the energies of the earth, grounding and empowering through the depths of being. Integrates hidden, transformative forces of nature and consciousness. Invites a return to roots, emphasizing the importance of raw, elemental power.

Kali Mandir

Kali Mandir is rooted in the Dakshineswar Temple in West Bengal, India, and the 19th-century mystic Sri Ramakrishna, a devotee of Kali. The temple houses the image of "Ma Dakshineswari Kali," brought from Dakshineswar by priests Sri Haradhan Chakraborti and Sri Pranab Ghosal. Alongside Kali, the temple honors Sri Ramakrishna, Sri Sarada Devi, and Swami Vivekananda. Other deities, including Shiva, Ganesha, and Radha-Krishna, are also worshiped.

Daily puja and arati, monthly Amavasya rituals, and annual festivals are conducted by resident Swamis. The temple welcomes visitors daily, offering individual and group worship opportunities.

Dhunuchi Nritya, a vital part of Bengali Durga Puja rituals, reflects gendered participation patterns. In private household pujas, women actively engage in rituals, often showcasing creativity through cross-dressing performances. However, in public committee pujas, men dominate the rituals, with women—aside from a few Brahmin females or purohit relatives—relegated to spectators. Even in women-led committees (mohila somitis), female participation remains minimal. This contrast highlights how societal norms restrict women’s involvement in public spaces, despite their significant contributions in private rituals. A more inclusive approach is essential to ensure broader participation in preserving these cultural traditions.

From soup to nuts, Kali puja and Durga Puja is a prominent festival, which is celebrated in West Bengal by the Hindus. Such kinds of festivals indicated the historical coherence of the society's bond of different identities. Durga and Kali are prominent figures and Devis in Hindu mythology which emerged within the 16th to 17th centuries in West Bengal with the help of Bengali Hindu people in Kolkata.

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