Eastern India- The Eternal Part of India

The region, east India is famous for its rich cultural heritage which is reflected in the temples and other monuments of architectural importance. You can have a taste of beaches, temples, monasteries, buddhist circuit with a rural touch.

Most popular tourist destinations of this region are Kolkata, Puri, Bhubaneshwar, Gaya and beautiful valleys of Mountains in Darjeeling. Hindi is the widely spoken language in this belt, followed by Bengali and Oriya. English is also widely spoken and understood.

If I talk elaborately, West Bengal is a natural beauty with enthusiastic people. This state has a long tradition in folk literature and music. The Style Baul is a kind of folk music by wanderers who were protagonist of the Bhakti movement in West Bengal. Rabindra Sangeet and Nazrulgeeti is very popular genre here. People are here also known for their love for Football.

Places to visit- New market, the heritage building, Park street, the Food lover's paradise, Indian Museum, the Birla Planetarium, St. Paul's Cathedral, Victoria are close by to each other. Iskcon in Mayapur, Nawab's palace in Murshidabad, Moti Jheel and Katra Palace are worth to visit. Darjeeling is the hill resort  of the region is adventure with its scenic and sports, tea gardens and spectacular view of the Kanchanjunga range.

Goddess Durga and its forms

India, the country of festivals, the country of Goddesses, the country of religions where everything is connected directly or indirectly to various spheres of life.  It’s the India and there is no any such place or country in the world that can be compared to my own country. It’s unique itself.

If I talk about the recent festival Dussehra which is like a carnival across the India, mesmerizes our heart to believe the power of faith and God. A ten days festival has its own importance and significance in Hindu culture. 

Durga, the Goddess, the mother of the universe and believed to be the power behind the work of creation, preservation and destruction of the world.  Since time immemorial, she has been worshipped as the supreme power. She has been mentioned in scriptures like Yajur Veda, Vajasaneyi Samhita and many more.

Goddess Durga

The nine day ritual of Navratri signifies the victory over demons and negative energy that are present around us in the form of falsehood, hatred, greed and discrimination. To win over evils, we need to ourselves through the power of meditation. We have to conquer the negative thoughts that arise in our minds.

The word Navratri means nine nights which is dedicated to Goddess Durga and her nice forms. As per Hindu calendar, it begins the first day of the fortnight of Ashwin which coincides with the end of the rainy season.  Religiously, it has a great significance as Goddess Durga destroyed all the evil during this period.People irrespective of caste and creed, equally enjoy and celebrate this festival by visiting temples and puja pandals. 

If I talk about the first day of navratri, it is dedicated to one form of Goddess Durga who is called as Shailputri, a form of shakti. The second day is dedicated to the form of Brahmacharini, derived from the word Brahma. Goddess Chandraghanta is worshipped in the third night of navratri representing beauty and bravery. In the fourth day, Goddess Kush-mandas is worshipped as the creator of the entire universe.  The Goddess Skand mata, the chief warrior of God’s army is worshipped on the fifth day.  The sixth day is dedicated to the Katya-yani, a Goddess with three eyes and four hands. The seventh day id dedicated to the Goddess Kalratri meant to make the devotees fearless. Mata Rani, the Goddess who represents calmness is worshipped on the eighth day. And the ninth day, Goddess Durga is worshipped.