Mahishasur Worship: Durga Puja through a different lens– GetBengal story
“Ashwiner sharodo prate beje utheche aloko manjira”, all Bangalies are very close to this verse, where they find emotion and the traditional taste of the grand Durga Puja. Mahalaya brings alive the epic story of Mahishasur Mardini, depicting the victory of the Goddess over the demon, Mahishasur.
But if we further investigate the demonic power, we will find a fascinating history or maybe an oral tradition that led to Mashisasur worship. Many tribal communities in Bengal, like the Santhals, Mundas, Bagdis, and Asurs, identify Mahishasur as a powerful king, rather than a demon. He is remembered as a brave tribal king, a symbol of resistance, and even as an ancestor. When Durga Puja is celebrated as the triumph over the demon, these communities mourn the loss.
According to tribal beliefs and oral stories, Mahishasur was not evil but a powerful ruler who was tricked and killed by Durga. As per the story, Goddess Durga emerged during the Aryan or Brahminical invasions to uproot the demonic power. Mahishasur was engaged in ironworks at that time, and Durga came to him as a beautiful woman to win his trust. Since defeating Mahishasur was impossible, Durga deceived him and killed him to destroy his existence.
Also, there are two other versions of tribal beliefs. In the Santhal version, King Durga (Mahishasur) was too strong to be defeated in battle, so a Brahmin woman named Devi was sent to kill him through deception. On the other hand, in the Munda story, a buffalo (symbolic of Mahishasur) found a baby girl in the forest and saved her and raised her like his own daughter. Later, he lost his daughter due to the contemporary king. Consequently, the buffalo, in grief, took his own life. These stories focus more on betrayal and deep sorrow rather than demon destruction.
The shocking fact is that some tribal areas of Bengal, including Purulia, Jharkhand, and Jalpaiguri, avoid coming out in the daytime throughout Durga Puja. They believe those days are inauspicious and gather at night to offer prayers to Mahishasur. They sing folksongs together and also in some regions, organise a fair on the occasion of ‘Mahishasur’s Martyrdom’. In local terms, the worship of Mahishasur is called Ashwin Puja or Asur Puja.
Furthermore, the assassination of Mahishasur contains another view in tribals, where caste discrimination is highlighted. According to this view, Mahishasur didn’t want to fight with Durga and proposed to marry him. But Durga refused it and eventually killed him, leading to victory. This story emphasises the discrimination against lower caste men by upper caste women. A section of tribals believe that Mahishasur belongs to a lower caste, and that is why Durga did not accept the proposal and demolished his existence. This belief also includes the current situation in society, where, in many cases, lower caste men are unacceptable for upper-class women.
In this modern age, the idols of Mahishasur have been changing by reducing demonic elements. Rather, the idols become silly and cartoonish, decreasing the wildness that earlier it used to be. Some say that this change has been made to avoid offending tribal sentiments.
The stories or beliefs of Mahishasur are not only a vague concept but a less popular history from a different lens. The conflict between good and bad may be reversed in these beliefs, digging out exceptional culture and societal truths. However, seeing each belief from each corner creates a wider perspective, which most people overlook.
