Durga Puja in Mauritius

The celebration of Durga Puja with a life-size image of Durga was started in Mauritius by the Ramakrishna Mission in 1977.

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The faith, fervour and spiritual atmosphere that vibrates during the puja is such that the worship of Mother Durga has rapidly gained popularity across the country with the result that every year more and more associations and temples have started their Navaratri puja on the same pattern. 

 

The living image of the Goddess, accompanied by the elaborate puja rituals which are performed in just the same way as in the Ramakrishna Mission centres in India, create an elevating atmosphere in the temple.

 

 

Durga Puja at the Ramakrishna Mission is celebrated during seven days. The preparation of the image generally starts months earlier. For the last fifteen years, the images of Mother Durga   Lakshmi, Saraswati, Ganesh and other deities are made by inmates of the ashram. All decorations etc., that go with the images are brought in from India.

 

Dashami -Immersion ceremony

 

The celebration culminates in Dashami when the image is ceremoniously taken to a beach and then conveyed in a boat for immersion in the sea beyond the reef. It is followed in the evening with Shantijal, which is the sprinkling of holy water on all devotees present.