It's no secret that paan or betel leaf plays a crucial role in most pujas. In the worship of Ma Durga especially the paan leaf is considered immensely auspicious, be it for Navratri or the Durga Puja that is celebrated widely across Eastern India.
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According to ancient Hindu scriptures, the betel leaf has divine properties and represents life, health, and prosperity, and offering it to gods and goddesses is believed to invite their blessings.
During Durga Puja, betel leaves hold a special place among the bhog presented to Ma Durga. Devotees believe that offering the betel leaf to the goddess is a way of showing respect and devotion and that the act helps in seeking her protection and blessings for a prosperous and healthy life.
Why paan is so significant
Ritama Debnath, who has often spent her Puja vacation at her paternal home in Bardhaman, has often witnessed how paan leaves play a big role in certain Puja rituals. "I remember the female members of the household including my aunts and grandma would perform the boron (the send-off) for the goddess on Vijaya Dashami before the deity would be taken away for immersion and would consume paan before the ritual. Of course, paan leaves are also used during sindoor khela," Debnath says.
"Eating paan without any masala, supari or choona was a practice that the women followed especially on Dashami," she adds.
The use of betel leaf in rituals is rooted in ancient practices, where it is seen as a conduit between the human and divine realms. As the goddess of power, Durga is revered for her ability to vanquish evil and restore balance. Offering a betel leaf during the Puja signifies a request for her protection, as well as the hope for a renewal of life and strength.
In fact, devotees are often advised to write down their wishes on a betel leaf and offer it at Ma Durga's feet. Numerologist and Vastu expert Eesha Lkhwani took to Instagram to share how devotees can use paan to manifest wealth.
She suggests writing the word 'Hreem' with a roli on a betel leaf. "Keep this betel leaf in your home temple in front of Maa Durga on this day and leave it there till Dhanteras. On Dhanteras, keep this in your locker, even if it has dried up," she shared.
The betel leaf is often regarded as a symbol of life and growth due to its vibrant green colour. It represents freshness and vitality, which aligns with the central theme of Durga Puja—the victory of life, good, and light over darkness, evil, and destruction. During the festival, when Ma Durga is celebrated for her triumph over the buffalo demon Mahishasura, the betel leaf offering becomes a representation of renewed hope.
During Durga Puja, the betel leaf is used in various rituals, most notably during the offering of bhog. The bhog is a symbolic meal offered to the goddess, comprising fruits, sweets, and other food items, among which the betel leaf holds a prominent place.
The betel leaf is used is the Sindoor Khela on the final day of Durga Puja, the Vijaya Dashami. Married women apply sindoor to each other and exchange betel leaves, symbolizing good fortune, marital bliss, and protection by the goddess. This act is believed to invoke Durga’s blessings for long-lasting marital happiness and prosperity.
The auspiciousness of betel and fish
Much like paan, the fish also plays a vital role in Dashami as it's considered auspicious. In the spiritual allegory, the goddess, who is invoked in her 'mrittika' form for the five-day celebration, is returned to her spiritual realm through the offering of fish. This fish symbolizes a vessel for the soul, acting as a bridge between the earthly and the divine.
In many Bengali families, especially those with roots in former East Bengal or Bangladesh, it is a tradition to offer fish as bhog to the Goddess on Dashami, the final day of Durga Puja. This practice is also observed in certain Shakta sects in Assam and Odisha. Similarly, the presiding goddess Vimala at the Vimala Temple, located within the Jagannath Temple complex in Puri, is offered fish from the sacred Markanda temple tank, prepared and presented according to Tantric rituals during Durga Puja.
In Bengal's Srirampur, the women of Goswami Bari, for instance, are known to consume raw betel leaves and at least one piece of cooked hilsa before they perform boron rituals. A piece of such paan is affixed to every deity’s palm, including that of the asur as Kanakanjali rituals are observed during Dashami.
Debnath shares, "Besides hilsa, varieties like boal, shol and rohu are also consumed during the five main days of Durga Puja. I grew up learning that both scaled and scaleless fish should be made a part of the Puja bhog since silver-scaled fish are believed to be a favourite of Gauri, while scaleless varieties are preferred by Kali and interestingly, Durga represents an embodiment of these two forms of Shakti."