Goddess Durga

Goddess Durga

In Hindu mythology, Durga is a fierce form of Devi, the Mother Goddess, the

all-powerful almighty goddess. According to a legend the gods could not defeat

the buffalo demon Mahish, who was threatening the existence of the universe.

They begged Shiva for his assistance, and Shiva advised all the gods to release

their shaktis.The shaktis of the gods emerged in female form. These goddesses

fused together in blinding light from which arose a magnificent goddess with

many arms. She was as beautiful as she was deadly. Durga was born fully-grown

and is depicted as extremely beautiful and full of rage.The gods called this

goddess Durga, the invincible one, and they armed her with all their weapons.

Thus armed, Durga rode to the top of a mountain on a lion. In a bloody battle,

she defeated Mahish and his army of demons and thus saved the Universe from

this demon’s menace.

 

Forms of Durga

She comes every year to Calcutta in autumn bringing with her, mellow days and

festivity. The Mother goddess returns to earth and, during this season, rising

food prices, sit-down strikes, overflowing gutters are pushed into the

background as, for one brief and glorious moment Calcutta becomes Camelot.When

a goddess is as splendour as Durga, it becomes increasingly difficult to unveil

the thousand mysteries that surrounded her. Who can catch the roaring wind and

imprison it in mere words? Who can give shape and form to the thrashing of

ocean waves or fetter the gurgle of mountain streams? Try and pluck a humble

star and the firmament will tremble. Set adrift an unknown planet and the

universe will never be the same again. Durga is indeed unfathomable and the

myths that surround her have changed like the fabled moon from shield to sickle

through aeons of light and darkness.For five fevered days, every autumn, she is

worshipped in Bengal. The frenzy is

maddening even as the images of the mother-goddess get installed on the day of

shashti and after the reverence and fervour of shaptami, ashtami and navami,

they are set adrift on the bosom of the Ganga when the sun streaks the sky in

gold and evening comes a-tumbling on Vijayadashami. The craftsmen in Kumartuli

set to work when the monsoon clouds thin in August and the first rusk of kash

blossoms wave their feathery white heads in fecund fields that roll into

distant horizons.Durga idols are crafted with much love and care. And the day

the artisans breathe life into her, that particular dawn when they actually

paint in her large, beautiful eyes, the almanac must be consulted to decide the

precise auspicious moment when the goddess will finally look upon the world of

mortals. She is shakti, the destroyer of evil. Armed with lethal weapons in her

ten mighty hands she rides a ferocious lion and is the triumphant slayer of

Mahishasur, the demon king. She is Uma, beloved daughter

of King Daksha and Queen Menoka who, for the sake of love, forsaked a kingdom

and earned her father’s wrath. She is Kali, black as the night and omnipotent,

terrible in rage and fury, with just a string of skulls as her garland and her

only garb. She is Parvati, serene, pretty consort of the mad, half-naked Lord

Shiva cooling her heels on the snow-bound peaks of Kailash. She is Bhawani,

symbol of life. She is Sati, the object of death. She is Basanti, the heralder

of springtime. She is Mahishasurmardini, the vanquisher of evil in autumn. She

is the epitome of salvation and sacrifice. She is the mother of bounty and

wealth, as also of beauty and knowledge, for her daughters are Lakshmi and

Saraswati.

 

MYTHS OF DEVI DURGA

 

Durga Puja, the festival of Bengalis is the worship of 'Shakti' or the divine

power. Most of the religious celebrations in the world have legends surrounding

them. The fables are generally the fight between the evil and the good, the dark

forces eventually succumbing to the divine. Worship of Goddess Durga is based on

myths where Durga symbolizes the divine power.

 

 

 

ACCORDING TO THE INDIAN MYTHOLOGY Mahishasura, the king of Asuras, through years

of austerities, was once granted a boon by Lord Bramha, that no man or deity

would be able to kill him. The immense power filled in him the urge to rule

over the world. He started to terrorize heaven and the inhabitants. He pervaded

the world with his battalion of Asuras and plundered and ruthlessly killed the

people. Chaos and anarchy reigned. Gods were driven from heaven and Mahishasura

usurped the throne.

The Gods scared and unable to combat him, requested Lord Shiva, Lord Bramha,

Lord Vishnu to stop Mahishasura's tyranny. In answer, the three Gods combined

their divine energy and summoned up a feminine form so brilliantly glaring that

it illuminated the heavens. From the glow emerged Devi Durga, a beautiful yellow

woman with ten arms riding a lion. Despite her grace she bore a menacing

expression, for Durga was born to kill. Fully grown and beautiful Durga was

immediately armed by the gods and sent forth against Mahishasura bearing in

each of her ten hands, symbols of their divine power. Vishnu's discus; Shiva's

trident; Varuna's conchshell; Agni's flaming dart; Vayu's bow; Surya's quiver

and arrow; Yama's iron rod; Indra's thunderbolt; Kubera's club and a garland of

snakes from Shesha and a lion as a charger from Himalayas. A fierce battle

took place. Finally when Mahishasura in the guise of a buffalo charged against

Durga, the Devi beheaded the buffalo and from it emerge Mahishasura in his

original form. Durga pierced his chest with the trident and relieved the world

from the evil power. That is why she is 'Durgatinashini Durga', our mother

goddess who destroys the evil, protects her devotees and establishes peace and

prosperity on earth.

 

 

We worship Durga as the mother goddess, the epitome of 'Shakti' (divine power),

to deliver us from the evil and bring peace and prosperity in our lives. But

the most interesting part of Durga Puja is that, instead of placing Durga on a

high alter and worshipping her from a distance the Bengalis embrace her in

their hearts and make her an inseparable member of the family. We welcome Durga

to the earth as our daughter who comes at her parents' home for her annual

visits. Durga stays for four days-Shashti, Saptami, Ashtami and Nabami along

with her children, Ganesha, Laxmi, Kartik and Saraswati and sets for her

husband's abode on Vijaya Dashami.

 

Durga's mode of journey to the earth is detailed in scriptures. The modes, an

elephant, a horse, palanquin, boat all signify luck or omen which influence the

life on earth. The elephant signifies prosperity and good harvest while journey

on a horse back indicates drought, a palanquin spells wide spread epidemic and

the boat suggests flood and misery. The worship of Devi Durga however owes its

origin to Sree Rama. He hastily worships Durga, the goddess of 'Shakti', just

before he sets for Lanka to rescue Sita from Ravana. According to Puranas, King

Suratha, used to worship the goddess Durga in spring. Thus Durga Puja was also

known as Basanti Puja. But Rama prepones the Puja and worships the Devi in

autumn and that is why it is known as 'Akal Bodhon' or untimely worship. Over

the years, this Akal Bodhon has become the tradition among Bengalis (Bengalis)

and in

Bengal.

 

 

 

 

Durga & Mahish

According to Hindu mythology, a demon named Mahish had threatened gods out of

heaven and established his evil dominion there and this devil was a constant

threat to the existence of the universe.

Origin of Goddess DurgaThreatened by mahish, a buffalo demon all gods approached

Shiva for his assistance. Shiva advised them to release their energies(spiritual

powers) locked within their bodies.When these powers were united, Goddess Durga

was born. Gods praised her and gave to her their divine gifts. The 'Devatas

also contributed their share of energy to form the various limbs of the goddess

and armed her with the best jewellery and deadly weapons - thus Durga

represented an awesome combination of supreme beauty and deadly power Now

equipped with the fearsome weaponry of the gods and dressed in golden armour

and jewels she set off, seated gracefully upon that lion. All the demons were

destroyed in a great battle as with her divine sword she cut them to bits.

The Death of Mahish, the buffalo demonMahish, the demon king was completely

enraged by the events of the battlefield, where his army of demons was

slaughtered by Durga. He reverted to his own form, a buffalo, and charged about

on the battlefield. He ran wildly at Durga's divine soldiers goring many, biting

others and all the while beating them with his long, whip-like tail. Durga's

lion, angered by the presence of the demon-buffalo, attacked him. Durga jumped

on Mahishasura pushing him to the ground with her left leg. She grasped his

head in one hand, pierced him with her sharp spear held in another, and with

yet another of her ten hands she wielded her bright sword, beheading him. At

last he fell dead, and the gods returned to heaven, and along with the sages of

the earth, they sang praises of the Goddess Durga. After that day Durga is

worshipped by all the gods in heaven and by all the human beings on earth, she

is considered

as an eternal mother who resolves all hardships of her devotees. Mahishasura is

there too, impaled by Durga's spear and prostrate beneath her left foot.

 

The Festival

What makes Durga Puja intoxicating is the tension between calm spirituality and

ecstatic sensuality, the twin poles of Hindu religious worship. The festival of

Durga Puja is celebrated all over India with different festivities and rituals.

Durga Puja is celebrated in the autumn, in the month of September/October. It

is the time when the weather remains at its best giving the atmosphere a

festive mood. The advent of autumn is impossible to overlook in any corner of

the land. It arouses one from bed at dawn, with the sound of high-pitched,

ululations, the frantic blowing of conch shells and bell metal cymbals. This

simple ceremony marks the arrival of the Mother Goddess Durga, for the festival

of Durga Puja.

Common rituals and Some Important FactsDurga Puja is basically a festival with a

long series of rituals followed on every day of the Puja. Starting from the day

of the Mahalaya, the days of Sashthi, Saptami, Ashtami, Navami and Dashami or

Bijoya Dashami every day has its own unique rituals to follow. But it is not

only the festival that has rituals associated with it, but also the making of

Durga idols is governed by a series of rituals. These rituals are closely

related with the holy river Ganga. The elemental ritual, which is most commonly

followed, is that the ingredients that are used to make the idol of goddess

Durga come from the holy river. The activity of immersing the idol in the Ganga

at the end of the festival this way points to a theme of cyclical regeneration

too. Generally, the idol of Durga is flanked by the idols of Lakshmi,

Saraswati, Kartik and Ganesh, all of whom are believed to be her children. The

goddess

sits atop a lion, which is her vahan. The favourite tableau is of her stabbing

Asura, the demon. It is symbolic of the victory that she had achieved for the

gods over the demons

Some Important Facts Time of the year: October 2001Places to visit: West Bengal,

Assam, Jharkhand, Orissa,Bihar and Mysore Duration: Nine to five daysBest Idols

Made in: KumartuliDay of drawing eyes on the idol: Mahalaya

 

 

 

The Templenet EncyclopediaTemples of Andhra Pradesh

Home Page of

Kanakadurga Temple at Vijayawada

Deities: Kanakadurga

This famous temple in Vijayawada has an imposing image of Kanakadurga

Access and Accomodation: Vijayawada

VijayawadaTemples of Andhra PradeshAbodes of Shiva

The city of Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh is home to three distinctive temples -

the Kanakadurga temple, the Malleswara temple and the Vijayeswara temple. Near

Vijayawada is the hill temple complex of Mangalagiri dedicated to Narasimha.

Historically the Malleswara temple goes back to the period of the Tribhuvana

Malla, a Chalukyan ruler of the 10th century CE.

The Malleswara temple enshrines a Shivalingam believed to have been held in

worship by the sage Agastya. Legend also has it that this temple was

established by the Pandava prince Yuddhishtra. It is believed that the Lakshmi

Narasimha temple at the foothills of Mangalagiri nearby was also built by

Yuddhishtra the Pandava prince, and that the Vijayeswara temple was founded by

Arjuna.

It is believed that Agastya worshipped Shiva at this temple as Jayasena, while

Arjuna worshipped him as Malleswara.

The Indrakila hill in Vijayawada is said to be associated with the legend of

Arjuna (Vijaya) obtaining the Pasupataastram from Shiva. The Vijayeswara temple

has this and many other such legends illustrated in stone sculpture.

The Kanakadurga temple is a well visited temple in Vijayawada enshrining the

Chandi or the Durga aspect of Shakti. The spiritual leader Aadi Sankara is

believed to have visited this shrine and installed a Sree Chakra.

 

Lord Bramaramba Malleswara

Temple Of Kanakadurga

Legend has it that Arjuna, of the epic Mahabharata, prayed on top of

Indrakiladri hill and won the blessings from Lord Shiva. The name of

'Vijayawada' is derived from this 'Vijaya' - victory. Kanaka Durga, goddess of

power, riches and benevolence is considered the presiding deity of Vijayawada.

The temple is set on Indrakiladri hill. A temple of Lord Maheswara is also

within the city area. It is said that Adi Sankara visited this temple and

installed Sri Chakra here. Special celebrations are held during Dussehra

festival. At the Kanakadurga temple, the enchanting four-foot high icon of the

deity gleams into sight even before one enters the garbha griha. The goddess

with eight hands and equipped with eight powerful weapons is seen in a standing

posture over the demon Mahishashura and piercing him with her trident. The

Goddess bedecked in glittering ornaments and floral decorations is the epitome

of beauty. Devotees worship goddess Kanakadurga to bestow them with

health, wealth and prosperity. The temple authorities at the Kanakadurgeswari

shrine have made elaborate arrangements for devotees to have darshan from

different points. The first is the special darshan from within the sanctum

sanctorum in close proximity of the deity and the second special darshan is

from just outside the sanctum sanctorum. The third type of darshan is from a

distance. Chanting of mantras and devotional music euphonises the air in the

mornings creating a serene atmosphere.

Kanakadurga Pilgrimage Attractions

Mataaka Durga temple located at Indrakila hill.

Lord Bramaramba Malleswara Poojas

Lakshakumkum archanais performed everyday, except on Friday and Sunday

 

History This temple was constructed for Goddess Durga by Arjuna.

Festivals celebrated Sivarathri, Dasara & Vasantotsavam

How to Reach Public and private transport is available from Vijayawada bus stand

to Kanakadurga temple.

 

 

KanakaDurga Temple

Shakthi

 

Idols :

Durga

Description :

Kanaga Durga temple is on Indrakila hill. It is dedicated to the Goddess Kanaga

Durga, the protector of the city. The goddess receives continual gratitude from

her followers and the devotees credit her for the growth of Vijayawada.The

temple is very famous and is a number of devotees from many parts of the state

come here to get the blessings of the goddess. The presiding deity is a

Swayambu (self manifested) image.

Legends & Myths :

Tradition is that, goddess Durga created a powerful form of Shakthi called as

Kaushika, who vanquished the evil demons who were notorious for their inhuman

activities for the people of Vijayawada. The people rejoiced the death of the

demons and offered prayers in her praise. Pleased with their devotion, the

goddess showered a rain of gold called as Kanaka Varsha. The region glittered

by the gold rain,and came to be called as Kanakawada and the goddess as Kanaka

Durga.

Location :

Vijayawada,AndhraPradesh

Transportation :

The temple is in Vijayawada Town of Krishna District. The nearest Airport is

Gannavaram. The temple is about 8 kms from Vijayawada Railway Station and

number of state transport buses are available to this place.

 

 

 

 

 

Durga Aarti

JAI AMBE GAURII MAIYAA JAI SHYAAMAA GAURII NISHADINA TUMAKO DHYAAVATA HARI

BRAHMA SHIVAJII MAANGA SINDUURA VIRAAJATA TIKO MRIGA MADAKO UJJVALASE DAUU

NAINAA CHANDRAVANA NIIKO KANAKA SAMAANA KALEVARA, RAKTAAMBARA RAAJE RAKTAPUSHPA

GALAMAALAA, KANTHAHAARA SAAJE KEHARI VAAHANA RAAJATA, KHADAGA KHAPPARA DHAARI

SURA NARA MUNIJANA SEVATA, TINAKE DUKHA HAARI KAANANA KUNADALA SHOBHITA,

NAASAAGRE MOTII KOTIKA CHANDRA DIVAAKARA, SAM RAAJATA JYOTII SHUMBHA NISHUMBHA

BIDAARE, MAHISHAASURA GHAATII DHUUMRA VILOCHANA NAINAA, NISHADINA MADAMAATII

BRAHMAANII RUDRAANII, TUMA KAMALAA RAANII AAGAMA-NIGAMA BAKHAANII, TUMA SHIVA

PATARAANII , CHAUSATHA YOGINII GAAVATA, NRITYA KARATA BHAIRON BAAJATA TAALA

MRIDANGA, AURA BAAJATA DAMARUU TUMA HO JAGA KII MAATAA, TUMA HII HO BHARTAA

BHAKTANA KII DUKHA HARTAA, SUKHA SAMPATI KARTAA BHUJAA CHAARA ATI SHOBHITA,

VARA MUDRAA DHAARII MANAVAANCHITA PHALA PAAVATA, SEVATA NARA NAARII KANCHANA

THAALA VIRAAJATA, AGARU KAPUURA

BAATII BHAALAKETU MEIN RAAJATA, KOTIRATANA JYOTII

TranslationGlory to you, O divine Mother Gauri, glory to you, O Parvati, who are

so rich in maiden grace , the object of daily meditation by brahma,vishnu and

shiva.O Ambe! On your forehead is a mark of vermilion along with a mark of musk

.. Your twin eyes are bright and your face beautiful as the moon.Your body with a

tinge of gold is beautifully dressed in red attire; on your throat there is a

wreath of red blossoms like a beautiful necklace.Your vehicle, the lion, is, O

Mother in keeping with your majestic form; you hold a sword and a skull in your

hands, and on you attend the gods, hermits, men and your devotees, whose grief

you drive away.You are adorned with rings on your ears and with pearl on the

tip of your nose, your radiance looks as beautiful as that of myriad of moons

and suns.O slayer of the demon Mahish, you tore apart the bodies of Shumbha,

Nishumbha and Dhuumravilochana. Your eyes reflected a frenzy of wrath

everyday and night.You are the beloved companion of Brahma, Rudra and Vishnu.

The Vedas and the Shastras describe you as the queen companion of

ShivaSixty-four Yoginis chorus your glory and glorify you, while Shiva dances

in tune to the accompaniment of the sound of tambour and drum .You are mother

of the universe, the almighty, its sustainer, reliever of your devotees'

hardships and bestower of prosperity and happinessThe four arms you have

adorned your person, while the hand raised in benediction reveals your

compassionate aspect. Those among men and women who wait on you and worship you

have all their wishes fulfilled.In a golden platter are beautifully laid aloe

and camphor, both of which have lighted; and the radiance of your forehead is

reflecting the splendour of gems.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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