About Durga Puja
Durga Puja spans the last five days of Sharad Navratri — Shashthi through Vijaya Dashami — and is West Bengal's, Assam's, Odisha's and Tripura's largest festival. Elaborately themed pandals house artistically sculpted clay idols of Durga slaying Mahishasura, drawing millions of visitors over five days of music, food, art, and devotion before the idols are immersed in rivers on the final day.
Significance
Durga Puja fuses devotion with public art and community — the pandals function as temporary, competitively designed art installations, making the festival as much a cultural and creative event as a religious one.
History & story
The tradition of grand public (barowari, "twelve-friends") Durga Puja is generally traced to late-18th-century Bengal, evolving from private zamindar household worship into today's community-funded, publicly staged celebration.
Muhurat (2026)
Each day carries its own puja timing — Shashthi (Bodhon, the goddess's ceremonial awakening), Saptami, Ashtami (Sandhi Puja at the Ashtami-Navami junction is considered the most powerful moment), and Navami, culminating in Dashami's immersion.
Rituals & observances
- ◆Bodhon (ceremonial awakening of the goddess)
- ◆Sandhi Puja at the Ashtami-Navami junction
- ◆Dhunuchi dance with burning incense pots
- ◆Sindoor Khela (vermilion play) on Dashami
- ◆Idol immersion (visarjan) in rivers
Regional variations
Kolkata's pandal-hopping culture is globally recognized (UNESCO-listed as Intangible Cultural Heritage); also major in Assam, Odisha, Tripura, and Bihar, and celebrated by the Bengali diaspora worldwide.
Durga Puja — every year
The date shifts each year on the Gregorian calendar because it follows the Hindu lunar-solar cycle.