Phil Lagace’s travel blog from India
For those that missed my introductory piece in a prior newsletter, my name is Phil Lagace, I teach at Dawson through the Religion Department, and I鈥檒l be providing updates on my doctoral research as I travel India with my partner Aur茅lie. A week ago, we landed in Kolkata for its massive Durg膩 P奴j膩 festival. The goddess Durg膩 is a central deity in the 艢akta branch of Hinduism; 艢akta tra
ditions hold the Goddess, referred to as 艢akti or Dev墨, as supreme. This divine feminine principle is understood to manifest in various forms. Durg膩 is popularly recognized as preeminent among these, particularly in the region of West Bengal (including Kolkata, its capital). Durg膩 is commonly depicted with eight or more arms, each wielding a weapon given to her in order to fight the forces of evil. She is shown with her lion or tiger v腻丑补苍补 (vehicle mount), often attacking Mahi峁, a shapeshifting demon she famously defeats in battle; Durg膩 P奴j膩 celebrates this event.
Central to public celebrations of Durg膩 P奴j膩 are its pa峁囜笉腻ls, temporary temple structures erected in the thousands for the festivities. Generally, each pa峁囜笉腻l contains a sculptural image of the goddess Durg膩 subduing Mahi峁 while flanked by her children: gods Ga峁噀艣a and K膩rttik膿ya, and goddesses Lak峁墨 and Sarasvat墨. However, this barebones framework is nowadays brought to life with extravagance. These pa峁囜笉腻ls and the deities within are fashioned with wild creativity.
Some pa峁囜笉腻ls may be Hogwarts-themed, constructed out of recycled toothbrushes, resemble UFOs, modelled after the Vatican, etc. Festivalgoers undertake 鈥�pa峁囜笉腻l-hopping,鈥� travelling from one compelling installation to the next. Moreover, the pa峁囜笉腻l figures may be fashioned in the likeness of public personalities. For example, the demon Mahi峁 was once depicted as Bill Clinton in the aftermath of his sex scandal. Tacit here is the implication that pa峁囜笉腻ls also serve as platforms to showcase religious, social, and political commentary. This year, one pa峁囜笉腻l related to my research depicts Durg膩 as Ardhan膩r墨艣vara (a half-male, half-female figure); it was constructed by a community of transgender people and calls for the inclusion of those marginalized for their sexual orientation and/or gender identity. Stay tuned for more updates, and please enjoy the images of this year鈥檚 Durg膩 P奴j膩 installations.
