Bengali women perform Dhunuchi dance with grace and poise at Durga Puja

Dhunuchi dance is an important component of the Durga Puja, one of the biggest festivals in India. Bengali women clad in a beautiful red saree with golden border starts the Dhunuchi dance with grace and poise matching to the festive rhythms of dhak. Surrounded by a group of ’Dhakis’ the women performs the Dhunuchi dance with skill and expertise and offers her praying to the Devi Durga. She is then joined by three other women clad in beautiful sarees swaying to the beats of dhak. The women hold up the Dhunuchi in their mouth and start dancing with expertise. The atmosphere fills up with the essence of spirituality and holiness as the smoke of the Dhuna fills up the air and the priest performs the aarti of Ma Durga. This devotional dance is performed holding a dhunuchi, which contains the burning coconut husk with dhuno sprinkled on it. Dhuno, the Indian equivalent of frankincense, is a plant resin of sal tree, and dhunuchi is essentially an incense burner that holds the fire. Dhunuchi is a flare