Why We Celebrate Durga Puja: Stories to Share with Our Children
Every autumn the air feels different. The dhak starts to beat, the pandals light up, and we all say the same happy words: Ma ashchen! Mother is coming!
Have you ever wondered why we celebrate Durga Puja, and why in autumn? The answer isn’t one story. It’s several, all woven together, the way a grandmother tells them. Here they are.
Story 1: The Warrior Goddess and the Buffalo Demon
Long ago there was a powerful demon named Mahishasura. He could change into a buffalo whenever he liked. He prayed very hard to Lord Brahma, and Brahma granted him a wish: no man and no god could ever defeat him.
Mahishasura became proud and cruel. He drove the gods out of heaven and made everyone miserable. The gods knew no man or god could stop him. So they did something wonderful. They all brought their light and energy together, and from that shining light a goddess appeared: Ma Durga, with ten arms.
Each god gave her a gift. Shiva gave his trident, Vishnu his discus, Indra his thunderbolt, and the mountain king Himalaya gave her a mighty lion to ride. Ma Durga fought Mahishasura for nine days and nine nights. On the tenth day she defeated him.
That tenth day is Vijaya Dashami, the day of victory. The lesson for our children: when good people stand together, no evil is too big to overcome.
Story 2: Akal Bodhon, the Goddess Who Was Woken Early
In the old days, Ma Durga was worshipped in spring, during Basanti Puja, started by a king named Suratha. So why do we worship her in autumn?
This story comes from the Ramayana as Krittivas told it in Bengali. Lord Rama was about to fight the demon king Ravana to rescue Sita. He needed Ma Durga’s blessing. But it was autumn, and autumn is the time when the gods are resting.
Rama couldn’t wait for spring. So he did something no one had done before: he woke the goddess from her rest with his prayers. That is what Akal Bodhon means. Akal is “the wrong time,” and Bodhon is “awakening.”
So every autumn, when we celebrate Durga Puja, we are doing what Lord Rama did. We call Ma to wake up and come to us.
Story 3: The 108 Blue Lotuses and Sandhi Puja
This is the most touching story of all.
For his prayer, Rama needed 108 blue lotuses, which are very rare. Hanuman flew far away to a hidden lake and brought them back. Rama began offering them to the goddess one by one: 1, 2, 3… all the way to 107.
When he reached for the last one, it was gone.
Ma Durga had quietly hidden it. She wanted to see how true his devotion was.
Rama didn’t panic, and he didn’t give up. He remembered that his mother had always said his eyes looked like blue lotuses. People even called him Padmalochan, “the lotus-eyed one.” So he picked up an arrow, ready to offer his own eye as the 108th lotus.
Before he could, Ma Durga appeared and held his hand. She was deeply moved and blessed him with victory. Soon after, Rama defeated Ravana.
We remember this moment every year in Sandhi Puja, the special puja held at the meeting point between Ashtami and Navami. That’s why at Sandhi Puja you see 108 lotuses and 108 lamps. It is a short puja, only about 48 minutes, and it’s one of the holiest times of the festival. It’s also said that at this very moment, Ma took the fierce form of Chamunda to defeat two demons named Chanda and Munda.
The lesson for our children: true devotion means giving your very best, even when something goes wrong at the last minute.
Story 4: Uma Comes Home to Her Parents
This is the story that makes Durga Puja feel like family.
In Bengal we don’t only see Ma Durga as a warrior. We see her as Uma, a daughter. Her father is Giriraj Himalaya, the king of the mountains, and her mother is Queen Menaka. Uma married Lord Shiva and went to live far away on Mount Kailash.
Every year her mother Menaka misses her terribly. So every autumn Uma comes home to her parents’ house for a few precious days, and she brings her four children:
- Lakshmi, who brings wealth and good fortune, riding an owl
- Saraswati, who brings learning and music, riding a swan
- Ganesh, who removes obstacles and blesses new beginnings, riding a mouse
- Kartik, the brave warrior, riding a peacock
That’s why the whole family is in the pandal together. And that’s why our puja feels like a homecoming, with new clothes, good food, friends and family all around.
There are even songs about it. Agomoni songs welcome Uma home, and Bijoya songs say goodbye.
Fun fact for kids: people say Ma arrives and leaves by a different ride each year, on a palanquin, a boat, a horse or an elephant, and each one is thought to predict what the coming year will be like.
Dashami: Saying Goodbye
On Vijaya Dashami, Uma has to go back to Kailash. Married women do sindoor khela and send her off with sweets, the same way a mother sends her daughter back to her in-laws with love and tears. The idol is immersed in water, and everyone says:
“Asche bochor abar hobe!” Next year, it will happen again!
Afterwards we touch the feet of our elders, hug our friends, share sweets, and wish each other Shubho Bijoya.
So, What Is Durga Puja Really About?
It’s about all of these at once:
- Good defeating evil, the story of Ma and Mahishasura
- Courage and devotion, Rama’s Akal Bodhon and the 108 lotuses
- Love and family, Uma coming home to her mother
When your children stand in front of the pandal this year, ask them to find Ma’s lion, the owl and the swan, and Ganesh’s little mouse. Then tell them these stories. That’s how the tradition carries on, one story and one child at a time.
Shubho Sharodiya to all!
