From the archive record
Devotees worshiping the Goddess Durga with great enthusiasm and excitement. Priest plays conch shell during arti and others playing drums. Durga Puja - the ceremonial worship of the mother goddess, is one of the most important festivals of India. Apart from being a religious festival for the Hindus, it is also an occasion for reunion and rejuvenation, and a celebration of traditional culture and customs. While the rituals entails ten days of fast, feast and worship, the last four days - Saptami, Ashtami, Navami and Dashami - are celebrated with much gaiety and grandeur in India and abroad, especially in Bengal, where the ten-armed goddess riding the lion is worshipped with great passion and devotion. Durga Puja is celebrated every year in the Hindu month of Ashwin (September-October) and c