Bengalis from the very beginning have always been believer of shakti puja and love to worship the god of shakti. It is in Bengal that the figure of Kali was for the first time conceived and the worship of goddess Durga began first in Bengal. Bengalis love for the worship of shakti led to the concept of the both these goddesses and the worshiping of these deities. Bengalis have always had a high respect for the women and their worship of power (shakti) of women in special attribute. There is a special place in West Bengal known as Birbhum. The reason why this place is called Birbhum is that thousand and thousand sadhakas have meditated and worshiped the mother goddess (shakti) valiantly in this land and attained supreme power and darshan of the goddess.
Medhas Rishi about 20 thousand years ago first started Durga Puja in his ashram which is called Medhas Ashram in West Bengal. The proof of this can be still found in the Medhas Ashram in West Bengal. Raja Surat and Samadhi Baidya urged rishi Medhas to protect them and defeats their enemies, so in order to help Raja Surat, regain his territories and defeat his enemies, he first worshiped goddess “Durga” to empower the king with power so as to win the war against enemies through Navratri puja (Worship of Mother). The Bengalis also fulfill one beautiful desire, after marriage the daughter of a house go to her in-laws house to resides there and they come once a year to visit their parents. By worshiping Devi Durga once a year is like a home coming of the daughter to her parent’s house. So according to tradition the Bengalis feel that Maa Durga is their Daughter who come once a year to their house leaving her in-laws house and for four days the worship her with shower of love and affection as their own daughter.
Goddess Durga is the epitome of power and energy but to the Bengalis she is just like their own affectionate daughter. On one hand worshiping goddess Durga we worship valor and power and on the other hand loving her as ones own daughter are the two features of this puja which makes it so special do the Bengalis.
