Durga Puja was first celebrated at Belur Math in 1901.
Since then it is been celebrated year after year, although for a few years
after the first celebration in 1901, Pratima [Image] worship was not done. In
this connection it should be mentioned that Durga Puja was conducted on a small
scale, without the image, by the disciples of Sri Ramakrishna during the early
years of Ramakrishna Math at Baranagar. It was Swami Vivekananda himself who
started the first Durga Puja with the image at Belur Math. As a rule, Hindu
Sannyasins do not conduct this kind of ritualistic worship. Why then did
Swamiji start the new tradition? …
A few days before Durga Puja in 1901, Swamiji had a
vision of Durga Puja being done at Belur Math. More or less at that time,
Swami Brahmananda saw in a vision Mother Durga coming across the
The main problem was to get a clay image for
worship. Enquiries at Kamartuli—the street in Kolkata where artisans make
clay images—revealed that there was a single beautiful image of Durga in a
shop. The person who had ordered it had not turned up, and so the artisan
agreed to sell it to the monks.
Apart from the image, a lot of other things had to be
collected for the elaborate ritualistic worship. Under able direction of
Swami Brahmananda everything was done well at short notice.
The first Durga Puja at Belur Math was conducted in a
huge Pandal (decorative shed) on the open ground to the north of the old
shrine. The invocatory worship on Shashthi (the 6th day of the lunar
month) was on 18 October 1901. The Pujari was Brahmachari Krishnalal and
the Tantradharak was Isvar Chandra Chakravarty, the father of Shashi
Maharaj. Sitting under the Bel tree (which now stands in front of his
temple) Swamiji sang Agamani songs welcoming the Divine Mother.
The householder disciples of Sri Ramakrishna and
orthodox Brahmins of nearby area had been specially invited, and thousands of
people, irrespective of the distinctions of caste or religion, attended the
three-day festival. On the night of Navami, ninth night, Swamiji sang
many songs in praise of Divine Mother, some of which used to be sung by Sri
Ramakrishna.
When Swamiji decided to celebrate Durga Puja at Belur
Math, one of the first things he did was to seek the approval of Holy Mother
Sarada Devi who was then staying at Baghbazar in Kolkata. Swami
Premananda went to Mother, and Mother whole-heartedly approved the
proposal. On Shashthi day She came with other women devotees and stayed at
Nilambar Babu's garden house nearby. Mother attended the awakening
ceremony that day and attended the Puja on all the three subsequent days. …
Several mythological legends underlie Durga Puja
festival. One of these is the legend that every year during the Navaratri,
Nine Nights, Goddess Uma, who is identified with Parvati the divine consort of
Shiva, comes to the home of her parents—Himavat and Menaka. In
Swami Vivekananda was fond of Agamani songs because of
the tender feelings expressed in them. On the Shashthi of the first Durga
Puja at Belur Math, Swamiji sang Agamani songs such as, Giri Ganesh amar shubhakari. The tradition of singing Agamani
songs continues in Belur Math. Every year from the first day (Pratipada)
after Mahalaya to the sixth day (Shashthi) Sadhus and Brahmacharins gather at
the main
During the nine days of Navaratri the book Chandi is
recited everyday morning. This recital is done along with worship of the
Goddess Chandi. In Belur Math this is done during the first five days at
a corner of Natamandir and from the 6th at a corner of Durga Mandap itself.
On the tenth day, Dashami,
brief Puja is performed in the morning.
It is followed by shital bhog
(cooling food offering) and Arati. Then the Pujari and Tantradharak
circumambulate the altar and perform the visarjan
or immersion ritual. In this ritual the Devi, who had been invoked in the
Navapatrika and consecrated Image, is entreated to return to Her celestial
abode. The Divine Mother, however, dwells for ever in the hearts of
devotees.
In the evening the Image of Durga along with
Navapatrika is taken in procession to the river bank and immersed in the
river. The water taken from the spot, known as Shanti Jal is sprinkled on
the devotees who embrace each other as an expression of their solidarity, as
children of the same Divine Mother. And thus the holy Durga Puja comes to
an end, leaving joyous memories in the souls of people.
