Kali Puja Festival



Detailed Information about Kali Puja Festival & Its Importance


Indians are known to be deeply religious and many people are of the opinion that Indians celebrate their festivals with much pomp and ceremony. This is indeed true even with one of the most celebrated days in India which is the Kali Puja. This is one of the most popular and auspicious holidays for the Bengali community in India. On this day, many pandals are built across the different places in a city or town where the Bengali people reside. And the pandals are dedicated to the Goddess Kali, who plays a significant role in the Hindu scriptures. And on a new moon night, in the month of Kartik according to the Hindu calendar, this festival kicks off. As for the rest of Hindus in the country, they celebrate the famous Laxmi Puja, which is dedicated to Goddess Laxmi who is the Goddess of wealth and prosperity. While there are some communities such as the Bengalis, the Assamese and the Oriyas who worship Goddess Kali more, there are other Hindu's who worship Goddess Laxmi more.

The celebrations of Kali Puja go on as follows. People are zealous about each and every ritual. Members of the family go out for shopping during this time of year so they can dress their best. They buy as many as four sets of clothes for the different days of the celebrations. And while the days are spent in prayers, charity and other rituals, the evenings are spent visiting the many pandals across the city in order for offerings, worship and blessings. People decorate their houses with lamps and incense sticks are lit during the day as well as night. Food is kept at the altar of the Goddess such as fruits, biscuits and other homemade delicacies which include a lot of sweet dishes. The front porches of the houses are also laden with rangolis which is a kind of art done with coloured powder. Fireworks are a big part of this festival although not as much as Diwali. This means that as night falls, firecrackers are burst through the night.

There are many famous forms in which Goddess Kali appears in the Hindu scriptures and some of them include Shyama, Tara Maa, and Chamundi. Some people find her representations during the Pujas frightful and grotesque. However, the goddess is in many ways a representation of woman empowerment. She is strong, powerful, and independent and can even destroy. There are some gentler representations for her but they do not appear in the forefront very often. She has three eyes and it is believed that the past, the future and the present are represented by them. There are some specific offerings that are made to her and some of them include the red hibiscus flower in addition to animal blood and an assortment of sweets. Fish, meat and rice also form as an important part of the offerings that are made to her on this day. Although, meditation is prescribed for the entire day, most people meditate in the mornings and the evenings.