Overseas Durga Puja

The azure sky with fleecy white clouds and the nip in the air marks the advent of autumn – the season for Bengal’s most popular festival, Durga Puja or the worship of Goddess Durga. Durga Puja is celebrated with customary pomp and fanfare twice a year – once in the month of March or April (basant) and again in the month of September or October (ashwin), during the moonlit fortnight. On both the occasions, the puja is a nine-day affair with the last day coinciding with Ram Navmi and Dussehra respectively. The Mother Goddess is venerated in one form or the other all over India, though her popularity is at its peak with the Bengalis.

The right time for the worship of Goddess Durga being in spring, the prayers of Lord Rama are also known as akal bodhan (untimely worship). Nowadays, Ram Navmi is celebrated during spring and Durga Puja or Dussehra is celebrated during autumn.

Prevalent in Bengal is the tale of the defeat of the demon, Mahishasura at the hands of Goddess Durga, the incarnation of Shakti, or Power. This demon was almost invincible because of a boon granted by Lord Shiva (the Destroyer in the Hindu Holy Trinity of Creator-Preserver-Destroyer) whereby no male could defeat him. But the gods found a novel solution to the daunting problem. The amalgamation of the might of all the gods resulted in the birth of Shakti in the form of Goddess Durga, who wielded an assortment of weapons in her 10 hands and rode a lion. Predictably enough, she was able to slay the demon, thus ending his reign of terror. Therefore, Durga is also called Mahishasuramardini (the slayer of Mahishasura). This holy battle has come to symbolise the triumph of Good over Evil.

"Ya devi sarbabhuteshshu,
sakti rupena sanksthita
Namasteshwai Namasteshwai Namasteshwai namo namaha."

Atlanta Puja
215 Weatherwood CIR, Alpharetta
GA, 30004-3445, USA


India Cultural and Religious Center (ICRC)
1281 Cooper Lake Road
Smyrna, GA 30082, USA


CONNECTICUT
Associations of Indians in Connecticut
Durga Puja and Dusshera 2004
Rippowam Middle School
381 High Ridge Road
Stamford, CT 06095
Contact Tel : (203) 968-2198 Email : sm_home@yahoo.com

CALIFORNIA
Pashchimi
Sunnyvale Temple
Hindu Temple & Community Center
420-450 Persian Drive
Sunnyvale CA 94089


Prabasi
Metzger Park
8400 SW Hemlock Street,
Portland, OR 97223


Bengali Association of Southern California
14900 La Mirada Blvd.
La Mirada, CA 90638-4752, USA


Dakshini
Torrance Civic Center
Torrance, CA, USA


Sanskriti
Henry M. Gunn High School
780 Arastradero
Palo Alto, CA 94306-3827 , USA


Lynbrook High School
1280 Johnson Avenue
San Jose, USA

CHICAGO
Bengali Association of greater Chicago
701 W. Schaumburg Road
Streamwood, IL 60107, USA


CHNDLER
Valley Unitarian Universalist Church
1700 West Warner Road
Chandler AZ, USA

COLORADO
Edgewater Church
closest major intersection - Sheridan & 25th
Denver, Colorado, USA

Milonee
The First United Methodist Church
1500 Ford Street
Golden, CO, USA


DALLAS
Bengali Association of Dallas-Fort Worth
1605 N. Britain Rd.,
Irving, TX 75061, USA


INDIANA
Bengali association of Indiana
Northview Middle School
8401 Westfield Rd
Indianapolis, IN 46240


MARYLAND
WALT WHITMAN High School
7100 Whittier Blvd
Bethesda, MD 20817


Prantik
Long Reach High School
6101 Old Dobbin Lane
Columbia, MD 21045, USA


MINNESOTA
Bethany Baptist Church
2025 Skillman Avenue, Roseville
MN 55113, USA


MICHIGAN
Hamilton Elementary School
5625 Northfield Parkway,
Troy, MI 48098, USA


MEMPHIS
Durga Puja
5530 Shady Grove Road
Memphis, TN 38120, USA

NEW JERSEY
ICC of Garden State
New Jersey
For http://www.iccgs.org

Garden State Puja Committee
Golden Door Charter School
180 9th St, Jersey City, NJ, USA
For

Garden State Cultural Association
Plainfield High School, 950 Park Avenue
Plainfield, New Jersey, USA
For

Kallol
Ukranian Church
Somerset, NJ, USA


Mt. Laurel Hartford School
Mt. Laurel Twp, NJ, USA

Parsippany Hills High School
20 Rita Dr, Parsippany, NJ, USA

NEW YORK
East Coast Durga Puja
Gujarati Samaj Hall
Flushing, NY , USA

Bangladesh Hindu Mandir
94-39, 44th Avenue
Elmhurst , NY - 11373, USA


PHILADELPHIA
Newman Center, Drexel University
33rd & Chestnut St.
Philadelphia, USA

RALEIGH
Millbrook Baptist Church
1519 Millbrook Road
Raleigh, NC, USA

TEXAS
Houston Durgabari Society
Houston, TX. USA


VIRGINIA
Lyon Village Community House
At the intersection of N.Highland St. & Lee Hwy
Arlington, Virginia, USA

AUSTRALIA
Uniting Church Hall
74 Station Road, Indooroopilly
QLD 4068, Australia

CANADA
League Hall
3728-106th Street
Edmonton, Canada


Bangiya Parishad
Tagore Centre
140 Millwick Drive
Toronto, CANADA

ENGLAND [UK]
Bengali Cultural & Social Club
Forest Road
Hainault - IG6 3HG


Leicester Ankurclub
Sparkenhoe Theatre, Ark world Centre,
Near to St. Peters Community Centre,
Leicester.


M. K. ANANDA CLUB
Jenny Lee Theatre Hall,
Bletchley Leisure Centre
Princes Way
Bletchley
MILTON KEYNES
MK2 2HQ


Leicester Probashi Durga Puja
St. Chads Church Hall
Coleman Road, Broad Avenue Jn
Leicester,UK


Sanatan Bengali Association
St. Andrews Church Hall
Chase side, Southgate,
London N14 5PP


St. Peter's Community Centre
Sparkenhoe Street,
Leicester,UK


Tooting Hub, St. Peter's Church,
7A, Beechcroft Road,
London SW 17 7DU.

Liverpool
Kirkby Sports Centre
Valley Road
Liverpool


Hindu Cultural Society
Grimsby - Technology Block
Havelock School
Unity Road, Grimsby, DN32


Asian Hindu Cultural Association
Society of Friends Meeting House
Hazelwells Street off Pershore Road
Stirchley, Birmingham B30 2JU

Midlands Indian Association
57-59 Lower Forster Street
Walshall WS1 1XB

Bengali Association Midlands
Bengali Association Hall
Heath Street, Winson Green, (Entrance Cuthbert Road)
Birmingham, B18 4EE


Nabarun Hindu Bengali Cultural Association
Shree Laxshmi Narayan Temple
541A Warwick Road
Tyseley, Birmingham B11 2JP


Bengali Cultural Association
Upton Centre
Claude Road
Upton Park
London E13
Click Here


Hindu Pragati Sangha
33 Rhondda Grove
London E3 4PB (Just off Mile End Rd)


Sanaton Association
28 Commercial Street
Nearest Tube Station: Aldgate East


London Durga Puja & Dusserah Committee
Camden Centre
Bidborough Street,
London WC1H 9DJ

Sanaton Bengali Association
De Bohun Primary School
Green Road, Southgate N14
Click Here

Durga Puja (Wembly)
Dennis Jackson Centre
London Road
Wembly HA9 7EU (Off Wembly High Road)


The South London Puja Committee
Bina Hall
4-8 Upper Tooting Road
London SW17 7PG
Click Here

Tooting Durga Puja Committee
Bivayogum Hall
180-186 Upper Tooting Road
London SW17

Hindu Cultural Association (Wales)
The India Centre
Sanquahar Street, Splott, Cardiff

Wales Puja Committee
Penyrheol Community Centre
Caerphilly


Shanti Hall
Penuel House
Twynyrodyn, Merthyr Tydfil

GERMANY
Gemeindezentrum St.Rupert
Koblenzer Strasse 13
70376 Stuttgart, Germany

KUALA LUMPUR
SS3 Community Centre
Kuala Lumpur

SWITZERLAND
Sarbajanin Durgapuja
Taj Palace Schützenburg
Uetlibergstrasse 354, Zurich
Tel. No.: +41 (0)1 4613100


RUSSIA
Moscow Durga Puja Association
21, Mikhluka Maklaya Street
Interclub, PFU campus
Moscow, Russia


UAE
Dubai Durga Puja
Sindhi Cultural Hall
Bur Dubai
Contact: uday gupta