India: UNESCO certified Heritage Durga Puja and Durga Idol with Corona Ashura by Suraranjan Nandi
UNESCO declared Durga Puja Festival as a Heritage Festival on last week of December 2021. Post Covid it will be the maiden year of celebration in this year 2022. The West Bengal Govt. has decided to celebrate the festival with Grandeur & Style after the Covid restrictions are no more effective. As per Hindu Mythology, Ashura came down to earth from Hell to establish a Kingdom of Hell on earth. He was confident that he is Immortal so he started killing & plundering the people on earth. The ruling Hindu Gods of heaven Brahma, Vishnu & Siva were terrified that earth will be conquered by The Devil Ashura & he will establish a rule of hell on Earth. Devi Durga was crafted with ten hands to carry destructive weapons, which were donated by different Gods of heaven. The IDOL of Devi Durga is the work of IDOL artist Indrajit Paul of Kumartuli Kolkata. In 2020 he made Corona Ashura, he gave it the colour black as the Virus was unknown. In 2021 he made Delta Asura & gave the steel colour as by then coronana’s molecular structure was identified & the vaccine was invented. Thus the Corona Ashura & Delta Ashura are lying in the feet of Devi Durga as she killed them Both in the Year 2020 & 2021 respectively. The Vira Ashura for the year 2022 is grey in colour. Devi Durga is killing the Vira Ashura this year with her Trishul so that Virus doesn’t appear on earth again. This Puja is organised by Collootola Sarbojanin Durgotsav Samity, Kolkata.
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