Durga Puja
Also called Durgotsav, Sharodotsav
Bengal's biggest festival, one pandal at a time
What it is
September or October
Durga Puja is the biggest festival for Bengali Hindus. Hindus believe the goddess Durga comes to visit her parents' home every fall with her children, and the festival welcomes her. The main part lasts five days, from Shashthi to Vijayadashami.
How people celebrate
Neighborhoods build pandals, temporary halls that can look like palaces or famous buildings, with a clay statue of Durga inside.
People go pandal hopping, visiting as many as they can late into the night.
Drummers play the dhak, and people dance the dhunuchi nach holding clay pots of smoking incense.
On the last day, married women smear sindoor on each other in Sindoor Khela.
The statues are carried to a river and put in the water to say goodbye.
What people eat
- Bhog khichuri
- Rice and lentils served at the pandal, often with a mixed vegetable dish called labra.
- Luchi and alur dom
- Puffy fried bread with spicy potatoes.
- Sandesh
- A soft sweet made from fresh cheese and sugar.
Did you know?
UNESCO added Durga Puja in Kolkata to its list of the world's cultural heritage in 2021.