HINDU DIVINITIES BLOG

History of Durga Puja:

We all celebrate Durga puja but hardly anyone knows the history or origin behind the celebration. As in case of most of the Indian festivals we have to refer to Hindu mythology to trace out the origin. The festival of Durga puja comes with its own retinue of mythological stories. There are various legends associated with its origin but the most important and prevalent among them is the legend of Lord Rama (the incarnation of Lord Vishnu). When lord Rama was fighting a battle with Ravana (the demon king) to rescue his wife Sita whom Ravana abducted and held as hostage in Lanka, his kingdom. That time a fierce battle ensued. In that battle Ravana could not be defeated. So Lord Ram decided to seek the blessings of Shakti (Goddess Durga) in order to defeat the demon. For that puja, which lord Ram was performing 108 blue lotus were needed for the worship of Goddess Durga but Rama could manage only 107. But without that one lotus his puja would be incomplete so he was on the verge of laying one of his eyes that was lotus-shaped and blue in color at the Goddess's feet when Goddess Durga appeared and satisfied with his devotion, granted her blessing and eventually he won the battle against Ravana. The time he worshipped was Spring season so from that time onwards Durga puja is celebrated.

http://www.festivalsinindia.net/dussehra/durga-puja-origin.html

Items needed for Kalparambho, the ritual performed before the commencement of the puja and Mahasna:

http://www.durga-puja.org/the-essentials-of-durga-puja.html

The Adoption of uDivinities in Japan

Buddhism introduced many Hindu Gods and Goddesses to the Japanese. The rulers were the first to be attracted to them. Historical records show that they earnestly believed in the miracles of these divinities promised in the sutras. Many miracle stories started appearing in popular literature as the divinities percolated down to the masses. The resulting naturalisation process in the case of some divinities went to the extent that they became an integral part of the native Shinto pantheon. Their popularity remains unabated even today. The Tantric Buddhist sects also played a vital role in propagating the divinities. They regularly worshipped the divinities in their temples where people thronged in large numbers. Many steps in these ceremonies, for instance, the homa ritual, are very familiar to the present-day Hindus. The monks have also produced a considerable volume of religious literature related to these divinities. Descriptions of many divinities show that they have not changed substantially over centuries. A study of these writings also shows that a large volume of Hindu myths and legends related to these deities were transmitted to Japan. These writings are also a testimony to the way the ancestors of the present-day Hindus thought about these deities, say, around the eighth or ninth century of the Christian era.

http://books.google.co.in/books?id=vhAZEZD7weoC&pg=PA1&lpg=PA1&dq=hindu+divinities+history&source=bl&ots=-jcCSzyVi3&sig=qjiP77cvuSW4TLR43Ta0ut5BZD0&hl=en&ei=xv6ySpeoMIyNkAXQy43UCw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4#v=onepage&q=hindu%20divinities%20history&f=false