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Every year in the month of October we celebrate the arrival of Devi Durga.  Starting with Sasthi and followed by Saptami, Asthami, Nabami and Vijaya Dashami we celebrate each day of Durga puja.  We combine Sasthi and Saptami as a single day puja but the rest of the days are usually kept as separate ceremonies.

Durga Thakur was created when the asura Mahishasura threatened all of the gods through a boon that gained him invincibility against any man.  The gods faced a serious problem because they were all powerless against Mahishasura.  The gods then decided to cast a mighty beam of energy on their own consorts to create Durga Thakur.  Thus Durga came into existence with the power of each god that helped create her.  Therefore in each of her twelve hands she holds a different god's weapon: Rudra's trident, Vishnu's discus, Indra's thunderbolt, Brahma's kamandal, Kuber's gada, etc.  As the most powerful god ever created she descended to Earth to slay Mahishasura.  The killing of this famous half bull half demon is commonly depicted in images of her found in pandals.

The LMBCS celebrates Durga Puja every year in a community temple.  We put great effort into decorating the image of Durga Thakur that we have imported from India.  Every day also brings a delicious lunch cooked by volunteers from the community.

|Not only is Durga Puja a religious event but it also allows the community to come together during a very nostalgic time of year.  Every year at least one story of Durga Puja back in West Bengal can be overheard along with the more usual talk of stocks and taxes.  Durga Puja is a great time to catch up with familiar faces.