10 October 2024
All States Regional holiday | Thursday |
Maha Saptami is the seventh day of Durga Puja celebrations. Maha Saptami is also known as Saptami of Durgapuja and is one of the important days of Durga Puja. The Maha Puja (Great Ceremony) starts on Maha Saptami. Durga Puja is a Hindu festival in South Asia that celebrates the worship of the goddess Durga. Durga Puja celebrates the ten-armed mother goddess and her victory over the evil buffalo demon Mahishasura.
The world was under threat from the evil buffalo demon Mahishasura, that no man or god could defeat. To vanquish the demon, Durga emerged from the collective energies of all the gods. Each of her ten arms brandished the deadliest weapon of each god.
On the seventh day (saptami) of Durga Puja, the goddess started her epic battle against Mahishasura which ended with his death on Vijaya Dashami (the 10th day).
The Maha Puja of the Durga Puja festivities begins on the day of Maha Saptami because this is the day that the legendary battle between Goddess Durga and the demon king Mahishasura began. This is a festival that celebrates the victory of the Goddess over the demon. The battle ended on Vijayadashami day, which is the 10th and last day of the Durga Puja festival. It is symbolic of the victory of good over evil, not just in the world, but also in the hearts and minds of human beings all over the world.
Maha Saptami also has a legend surrounding Lord Rama associated with it. According to this legend, Lord Rama prayed to Goddess Durga before commencing his battle with the demon king Ravana, who had abducted his wife Sita.