According to Chandi Puran, Mahisasur, the buffalo-headed demon, compelled Brahma to grant him the boon of invincibility. Brahma announced that the demon would die at the hands of a woman. Deeming this an impossibility, Mahisasur terrorised earth and heaven. Vishnu and Shiva were enraged. Durga was created to massacre Mahisasur. On Brahma’s advice, Rama of Ayodhya undertook Durga Devi’s elaborate worship. At the climax of puja, one out of 108 lotus flowers for puja was found missing. Ram offered to pluck out his eye to make up for the missing flower. The goddess appeared and granted him victory over demon king Ravana. The victory day is thus celebrated as Dashain or Durga Puja. This festival creates a conviction that evil has been vanquished and a benevolent deity Trinayani Durga (three-eyed Durga) smiles upon the world. And the human soul bursts into celebration.

It is possible that in ancient times, a deity like goddess of vegetative abundance was worshipped who emerged in the Puranic Goddess Durga, the concept of Uma/Parvati, the wife of Shiva. This fierceness of Durga has been overlaid by wifely and maternal tenderness creating a complex image. Durga Puja or Nava Ratri (nine nights), commencing on the first and ending on the 10th day of the light half of Ashwin (Sept-Oct), is celebrated across the country, as well as in many other parts where Hindus live. Courtesy: Hindu Festivals, Fairs and Fasts