Saptami-the seventh day
On the seventh day, saptami, the image is consecrated and full Durga puja begins. At dawn the navapatrika is taken to the nearest river or stretch of water and bathed. After a brief puja it is brought back to the place of worship, clothed in a sari and placed beside Ganesh.
Calcutta notes on the bathing of the kalabau
The priest performs the great bathing (mahasnana) on the reflection of Durga in a mirror placed below the clay image using milk, curds, ghee, honey and various types of oil and water. This bathing is performed on the reflection of the head of Durga in the mirror (darpana) while the priest recites various mantras. Having done this the priest installs the ghat or sacred water pot in front of the image which is believed to contain the spirit of the deity in its waters.
The ghat is usually positioned in a ring of clay to hold it in place and it contains water (preferably Ganges water), herbs and jewels. The lip of the ghat is covered first by mango or pan (betel) leaves and a green coconut (symbol of fertility) and then the ghat is dressed like the kalabau in a piece of cloth and then decorated with a garland. The bowl of the ghat is decorated with a bhumandal (universal symbol also known as swastika) in the shape of a man, drawn in vermillion. Durga is invoked (adhivasa) into the ghat and it is cordoned off with four arrow-like sticks placed in the ground and encircled with string. This is called sutrabestan. The four sticks are topped with tal (palm) leaves and are known as tir-kati. The image is similarly cordoned off and after consecration only the priest is allowed to touch the image until the ceremonies have been completed.
The consecration involves pranpratishta in which the priest recites the mul mantra, takes a few leaves of durva grass and a little sun dired rice and touches first the chest of Durga then the subordinate deities and places his hands by the cheeks of the images while reciting the pranprathisha mantra. Taking lamp-black (collyrium) on the tip of a leaf of kusa grass or a bel twig, the priest performs chaksurdana or chaku dan, going through the motions of painting in the eyes. On rare occasions the artist actually paints in the eyes of the figure of Durga while the priest holds the artist's elbow. This is the standard procedure for the pranpratistha of all deities.
(For photographs showing the step by step process of painting in the eyes of Durga images belonging to the puja committee in Wales click the choku dan link below.)
Having completed the consecration, the priest meditates on Durga and worships her with the sixteen upacaras. Various food offerings are made including scented flowers, sun-dried rice, java flowers, kusa grass, sesamum, mustard oil, durva grass, incense, cloth, jewels, perfume and so forth. The cloth is usually placed in front of the image but sometimes the image is decorated with real jewellery specially created for it. This can include nose rings, earrings and tiara. The image is also garlanded with flowers. Red flowers are considered appropriate for the worship of Durga, so hibiscus, china rose or marigolds are chosen as flower offerings to Durga. The image is also decorated with chand-mala or 'moon garlands' which are decorative circular shapes with the word Ma written in the middle that hang from the image. They are usually made of sola or daker shaj . It is said that the chand-mala represents the moon while the ghat represents the sun. the sun and moon probably represent the passage of time or they may have tantric significance. The sun represents Shiva and the moon Shakti, or else the sun represents a man and the moon a woman.
During the feeding of the deities, called bhog, the priest offers cooked food and drink. The usual practice is for the food to be placed in front of the image although sometimes the food is placed on the lips of the images while appropriate mantras are recited. Worshippers or the priest may do this and a cloth is usually drawn across the image as an indication of privacy. Deities are said to consume the subtle essence of the food offerings. After the deities have been fed the cloth is drawn aside. The stipulation here is that whatever the worshipper eats (whether vegetarian or non-vegetarian) should be offered up to the deity. The food offered is mainly vegetarian although when a goat is offered in sacrifice during Durga puja the sacrificial goat meat is considered to be mahaprashad and is eaten by the celebrants.
Animal sacrifice is done daily in some family pujas but not usually in the communal or sarvajanin pujas which have vegetarian sacrifice instead. For animal sacrifice buffaloes, goats or rams may be sacrificed and a sacrifical post is placed at some distance from the image. The animal is sacrificed with a single blow from the sacrifical sword and the head and some of the blood may be offered to Durga. Goats are most commonly used and may even have the connotations of being the 'scape-goat' of all the sins of the family who are patrons of the worship. Animal sacrifice is accompanied by the 'sacrifice' of a gourd and a bundle of red sugarcane. The gourd may represent the early practice of human sacrifice in which enemies captured in war were offered to Durga. The idea of human sacrifice remains in the human effigies made out of rice paste or thickened milk and flour which are ritually sacrificed in a rite called satru bali or the sacrifice of an enemy (satru). Sugar cane may refer to alcohol as molasses form sugar cane as its base.
Durga puja-mahastami, the eighth day
Durga puja-mahanavami, the ninth day
Durga puja-vijaya dasami, the tenth and final day
Durga puja-immersion of the image