2012 Shivaji Park Bengal Club Durga Pandal

Shivaji Park's Bengal Club celebrated its 77th annual Durga Puja this year. The pandal, designed by art director Abhishek Redkar, was centered on Rabindranath Tagore's ancestral home. Nobel laureate Tagore was born in Thakur Bari, a red brick house which today is a museum located on the campus of the Rabindra Bharati University at Jorasanko, Kolkata. See photos of the 2013 pandal, a replica of Bishnupur Temples here.

Why is Goddess Durga worshipped as Goddess Kali

Some images of Goddess Durga in Her form as Kali depict Her as having 10 heads. This symbolises Her powers as being effective in all 10 directions. 

Goddess Kali’s numerous weapons signify that the Goddess is omnipotent and the demon the Goddess killed, namely Mahishasura, represents the triumph over ignorance.

Nine avatars of Goddess Durga

During the festival of Navratri, Goddess Durga is worshipped over the period of 9 days in her 9 different avatars (an avatar means the manifestation/form which a God/Goddess takes on earth).

GSB Seva Mandal Mumbai Gold Ganesha

The Gaud Saraswat Seva Mandal (GSB) is a charitable, non-profit organisation which is well-known not just for its well organised annual Ganeshotsav celebrations but also for being selflessly involved in philanthropic activities. In addition to providing financial assistance to needy people, it provides medical assistance to the deserving & conducts funerals for those who cannot afford it. Each year the GSB mandal also arranges for outdoor visits to temples & other places for senior citizens.

2012 Falguni Pathak Dandiya Raas event tickets booking

Falguni Pathak and Navratri are inseparable & once again the Dandiya Queen is set to take the spotlight at the Navratri Utsav in Mumbai. It has been reported that this time the Dandiya Queen will be making a dramatic surprise entrance on each of the days. The 9-day utsav is being organised by Purple Stone Entertainment in collaboration with Mangal Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. & 3^rd Rock Multimedia in Mumbai. For 2013 Falguni Pathak Navratri event tickets check details here.

The unique aspect of this year’s utsav will be free training sessions to help the participants learn the dandiya dance moves so that they can enjoy the festivities more. 

Falguni Pathak is eager to focus more on devotional & celebratory themes for the songs & music beats and less on Bollywood numbers. So other than her own hit numbers of past years (remember Pari hoon main andYaad piya ki aane lagi ?) and Gujarati folk beats, there will be bhajans, aartis & Sufi songs for sure.

Visiting Girijatmaj Vinayak Ganapati Temple at Lenyadri

After visiting the Chintamani temple, devotees who undertake the Ashtavinayaka Yatra visit the Ganapati temple at Lenyadri. This temple is known by the name of Ganapati’s mother Parvati whose other name is Girija & the word Atmaj refers to son. From the name of the area, namely Lenyadri, it is easy to understand the temple’s location – the word lena means a cave and the suffix adri is a Sanskrit word which means a mountain. So devotees must be prepared to climb up quite a bit to pay obeisance to the Ganapati idol in this temple.

Visiting Chintamani Ashtavinayak Ganapati Temple Theur

Devotees who embark on the Ashtavinayak Yatra make their fifth halt to pay obeisance to Lord Ganesha at the Chintamani Ashtavinayak Temple at Theur (also referred to as Theoor). The holy place of Theur is located at the spot where 3 rivers meet – the Mula river, the Mutha river and the Bhima river.