Durga Pujo is the most important festival for Bengalis across the world. People love to mingle with one another, and the entire community comes together like a family to celebrate the festival. There are many rituals that are followed over the 10 days, starting from Mahalaya and going on till Dashami. From the traditional khichudi bhog to sandhi puja, every ritual is taken care of. And one such ritual is the Aparajita pujo.
Held on the final day, that is Vijaya Dashami, the day signifies that Maa Durga has defeated evil in the form of Mahishasur and now she is ready to go back to her own abode. The day starts with Aparajita Puja early in the morning. Aparajita means invincible and that is exactly what Goddess Durga is, after defeating Mahishasur. So, to bid Her adieu, a special prasad is prepared for her farewell. It is called Dodhikormo.
In Bengali festivals, there is a tradition of preparing makha-makhi prasad. It basically means combining a lot of different elements to make a mixed prasad. It is automatically extremely healthy as it has fruits, grains, curd and other nutritious foods. It is considered a good omen to feed Maa Durga dodhikormo before her journey. This prasad is prepared right after the Aparajita pooja. The ritual involved making bands with aparajita leaves, offering them to Maa Durga and then wearing these bands. It is believed that it protects the health, wealth and happiness of the individual wearing the leaf band. After the Puja, dodhikormo is prepared by the women and girls taking part in the ritual.
Recipe - Somaz Kitchen
It is very simple to prepare this prasad. All you have to do is get the ingredients and mix them together. Here are the required ingredients.
- Popped rice or khoi
- Flattened rice or chiwda
- Curd
- Batasha
- Gud
- Sandesh
- Rosogolla
- Mishti Doi
- Bundiya
- Banana
- Shredded coconut
- Cashew Nuts
- Kishmish
- Other seasonal fruits like pomegranate or apples
Just pour all of these ingredients together and mix properly, so that they form a mixture where the ingredients cannot be separated. This Prasad is considered very auspicious and people who get to eat it after Aparajita puja are blessed with health and happiness by Maa Durga.