Straight from the East - Durga Puja in Orissa
Still in
a state of inertia. Four amazing days gone in a jiffy and it is time to get
back to the corporate humdrum but I am in a state of inertia. Durga Puja always
does this to me, and I hate going back to the boring routine but guess one year
wait for 4/5 days of awesomeness is worth it. And before you say – Every Bengali
feels the same way – I am not a bong. But every Bengali, Oriya and Assamese sure
feels the same way. You don’t believe me? Well a lot of my Bengali friends in
Mumbai didn’t believe me either when I told them about the traditional Durga Puja
celebrations of Cuttack and Bhubaneshwar. So here is the list of five of my favorite Durga
Pratimas of this year from the heart of Orissa which will do all the talking.
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| Durga Pratima in Bhubaneshwar |
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| My personal favourite set up in Bhubaneshwar |
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| Durga Mandap displaying silver filigree work |
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| Chaudhary Bazaar Mandap in Cuttack - known for its silver work mandap |
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| Most Creative Durga Pratima in Bhubaneshwar |
P.S.
With the availability of the fast drying and easy shaping Plaster of Paris, the
traditional way of statue making in India is slowly dying. But Durga Puja in
the east is still clinging on to the old ways. In olden times the Murtis (statues)
were made of clay and jute and altars of either clay, jute or metal. While a
lot of statues today are being made of Plaster of Paris and pose a threat to
the environment, majority of Durga Pratimas are still made of clay cause of the belief that the visage of Durga Maa needs to be made from the soil on which beautiful girls walk, and hence
are not a bio-hazard. Also, the metal altars and statues are never immersed and
are reused every year with minimal or no modification and hence are environment
friendly. Orissa specially follows this metal altar tradition and thanks to the
famous Cuttack Silver Filigree work, silver altars and ornaments reign in Durga
Puja. I seriously hope a similar culture takes over Ganesh Utsav as well and we
have safe and fun festivals in near future.
Great glimpses, thanks a lot for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThanks Indrani, glad you liked them :)
DeleteThe last design is simply stunning. This is great stuff gives us one more reason to visit Odisha during Durga Puja
ReplyDeleteAnurag it really does! Festival time in Orissa are the best time to visit the state you know :)
Deletethat is very attractive :)
ReplyDeleteThank you so much :)
DeleteVery interesting write-up. I didn't know why clay and its preference over Pop etc.
ReplyDeleteYou reminded me of my days in Kolkata when i used to be a part of such celebration. Thanks
Glad you found the post interesting :D Hope you get to attend the festival in Kolkata soon again :)
DeleteStunning post! The beautifully clicked pictures of Durga Puja oozes the festive spirit of people from the city of Cuttack and Bhubaneswar. Reading your post gives a divine feeling. Thanks for sharing it.
ReplyDeleteGlad you likthe post and the pics. Thank you so much :)
DeleteWonderful that you shared all this info , Vee. Super pics.
ReplyDeleteMany are not aware about Odisha's centuries old Durga Puja celebrations.
Everyone must visit!
Thanks Annie :)
DeleteTrue very few people know of the Oriya Traditions of Durga Puja. Hope Orissa Tourism propels it to a wider audience just to help the culture from not vanishing or becoming a mere shadow or what it used to be.
Great read! Your insights are spot on. I appreciate the way you articulate complex ideas in such a clear and engaging manner. Looking forward to more content from you!
ReplyDeleteMumbai to Bhubaneswar Flights
Well Said about Durga Puja. I also enjoy durga puja very much. Thank You for Posting such a nice blog.
ReplyDeleteTwo pics are from Rourkela puja prndals which are mentioned as Bhubaneswar
ReplyDeletePublish original reports