Durgapuja, Durga-puja, Durgāpūjā: 8 definitions
Introduction:
Durgapuja means something in Hinduism, Sanskrit. If you want to know the exact meaning, history, etymology or English translation of this term then check out the descriptions on this page. Add your comment or reference to a book if you want to contribute to this summary article.
In Hinduism
Purana and Itihasa (epic history)
Durgāpūjā (दुर्गापूजा).—See under Navarātri.
The Purana (पुराण, purāṇas) refers to Sanskrit literature preserving ancient India’s vast cultural history, including historical legends, religious ceremonies, various arts and sciences. The eighteen mahapuranas total over 400,000 shlokas (metrical couplets) and date to at least several centuries BCE.
Shaivism (Shaiva philosophy)
Durgāpūjā (दुर्गापूजा) is the name of a ceremony performed by the king of a country according to the Uttara-Kāmikāgama.—During the Durgāpūjā ceremony, the king had to worship his ancestors and then the royal insignia and finally feed the remnants of worship to the royal elephant, which is said to assure victory for the kingdom.
Durgāpūjā (दुर्गापूजा) refers to the “ceremonial worship of Durgā”, according to the Kāmikāgama: an ancient Śaiva Āgama scripture in 12,000 Sanskrit verses dating to at least the 5th century and represented as an encyclopedic account of ritual instructions (kriyāpāda).—In modern print editions, the Kāmika-āgama is structured in two major parts. The Uttarabhāga consists of 98 chapters (paṭalas) [...] In Chapter 77, we find an account of practices prescribed for the ceremonial worship of Durgā (durgāpūjā). Chapters 78 details the pacifitory rite of “Vāji” lamp-waving, and Chapter 79 expounds the practice of lamp-waving for kings.
Shaiva (शैव, śaiva) or Shaivism (śaivism) represents a tradition of Hinduism worshiping Shiva as the supreme being. Closely related to Shaktism, Shaiva literature includes a range of scriptures, including Tantras, while the root of this tradition may be traced back to the ancient Vedas.
General definition (in Hinduism)
The autumnal Durgā Pūjā, the ten-lunar-day worship of the goddess Durgā, also known as Caṇḍī or Caṇḍīkā, is one of the most important festivals in East India and Nepal. Throughout villages and cities in Bengal, Orissa, Assam and the Kathmandu Valley the occasion is marked by pomp and circumstance. In Bengal especially, this worship is a reflection of a culture that has given goddesses a privileged position over male deities from at least the time of the Pālas.
Languages of India and abroad
Sanskrit dictionary
Durgāpūjā (दुर्गापूजा).—[feminine] the festival in honour of the goddess Durga.
1) Durgāpūjā (दुर्गापूजा) as mentioned in Aufrecht’s Catalogus Catalogorum:—Oudh. Xvii, 98. Taylor. 1, 28.
—from Mārkaṇḍeyapurāṇa. Paris. (B 133).
2) Durgāpūjā (दुर्गापूजा):—from the Balinārāyaṇīya. Hpr. 1, 170.
1) Durgāpūjā (दुर्गापूजा):—[=durgā-pūjā] [from durgā > dur] f. the chief festival in honour of D°, held in Bengal in the month Aśvin or about October, [Religious Thought and Life in India 197, 431]
2) [v.s. ...] Name of a [chapter] of the [Purāṇa-sarvasva]
Durgāpūjā (दुर्गापूजा):—f. ein Fest zu Ehren der Durgā [VP.².1,] LVII.
Sanskrit, also spelled संस्कृतम् (saṃskṛtam), is an ancient language of India commonly seen as the grandmother of the Indo-European language family (even English!). Closely allied with Prakrit and Pali, Sanskrit is more exhaustive in both grammar and terms and has the most extensive collection of literature in the world, greatly surpassing its sister-languages Greek and Latin.
See also (Relevant definitions)
Starts with: Durgapujana, Durgapujapaddhati, Durgapujatattva, Durgapujavidhana, Durgapujavidhi, Durgapujaviveka.
Full-text (+48): Balinarayaniye durgapuja, Durgapujaviveka, Durgapujatattva, Durgapujavidhi, Durgapujapaddhati, Shashthi, Vijayadashami, Canda, Vijaya, Samdhipuja, Bilveshvara, Durgabhaktitarangini, Katyayanitantra, Ramalila, Devimahatmya, Pratipat, Aparajita, Khadga, Abhisheka, Rathayatra.
Relevant text
Search found 42 books and stories containing Durgapuja, Durga-puja, Durgā-pūjā, Durgāpūjā; (plurals include: Durgapujas, pujas, pūjās, Durgāpūjās). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:
Studies in the Upapuranas (by R. C. Hazra)
The sacred complex of Billeswar Devalaya (study) (by Rajesh Kakati)
Part 4.1 - Performance of Durga Puja < [Chapter 6 - Legacy of Religious Customs in Bilweswar Devalaya]
Part 3 - Devalaya management < [Chapter 7 - Establishing Bilweswar Devalaya as a Sacred Complex]
Religious Belief through Drum-Sound Experience < [Volume 13, Issue 8 (2022)]
Making, Using, Disposing, Remaking… < [Volume 13, Issue 7 (2022)]
At Home with Durga < [Volume 5, Issue 2 (2014)]
Dictionaries of Indian languages (Kosha)
Page 71 < [Bengali-Hindi-English, Volume 2]
Page 72 < [Bengali-Hindi-English, Volume 2]
Page 655 < [Bengali-Hindi-English, Volume 3]
Chaitanya Bhagavata (by Bhumipati Dāsa)
Verse 2.23.99 < [Chapter 23 - Wandering about Navadvīpa On the Day the Lord Delivered the Kazi]
Verse 2.8.268 < [Chapter 8 - The Manifestation of Opulences]
Verse 2.23.90 < [Chapter 23 - Wandering about Navadvīpa On the Day the Lord Delivered the Kazi]
Varahi Tantra (English Study) (by Roberta Pamio)
Chapter 28 - Durgāpūjā (the worship of Durgā) < [Summary of the Vārāhī Tantra]
Chapter 30 - Conclusion of the exposition on Durgāpūjā < [Summary of the Vārāhī Tantra]
Chapter 29 - The worship of Caṇḍikā < [Summary of the Vārāhī Tantra]
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