Astha SangrahASTHA SANGRAHhttps://asthasangrah.comDurga Puja
Durga Puja is the greatest festival of Bengal and eastern India, in which an image of Maa Durga is worshipped for five days, from Shashthi to Dashami. It is believed that in these days Uma comes home to her parents with her children.
Dates are for Kolkata. Some Bengali panjikas place the 2026 Bodhon on the evening of 16 October; Saptami to Dashami (18 to 21 October) is the same in all of them. In North India this year Navami is on 19 October and Vijayadashami on 20 October.
Significance of Durga Puja
Durga Puja celebrates Maa Durga's victory over Mahishasura, the story told in the second and third chapters of the Durga Saptashati. In the pandals the Goddess appears as Mahishasuramardini, with Lakshmi, Saraswati, Ganesh and Kartikeya beside her.
In Bengal it is also seen as the Goddess's homecoming: Uma, daughter of the Himalaya, returns once a year with her children, and is sent back on Dashami. That is why the day of farewell is as emotional as it is joyful.
This autumn worship is also called 'Akal Bodhon', the untimely awakening. According to Bengal's Krittivasi Ramayana, Rama woke and worshipped the Goddess in autumn before his battle with Ravana, though her traditional worship was in spring. In December 2021 UNESCO added 'Durga Puja in Kolkata' to its list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
How Durga Puja Is Celebrated
The festival is heralded by Mahalaya, when Pitru Paksha ends and Devi Paksha begins. In Bengal families listen to the 'Mahishasuramardini' broadcast on the radio at dawn, and on this day the eyes of the images are painted, a rite called 'Chokkhu Daan'.
Across all five days the pandals hold puja, pushpanjali, dhunuchi dancing to the beat of the dhak, and the sharing of bhog. The Ashtami morning pushpanjali draws the largest crowds, and khichuri, labra and payesh are served as prasad.
On Dashami married women bid the Goddess farewell by offering her sweets and sindoor, then smear sindoor on one another, the 'Sindoor Khela'. The images are then immersed in water, and people greet one another with 'Shubho Bijoya' and seek the blessings of elders.
Durga Puja Puja Vidhi
On the evening of Shashthi the Goddess is awakened and invited under a bel tree. At dawn on Saptami the Navapatrika is bathed and set beside the image, and the prana pratishtha is performed. Ashtami has the pushpanjali, Kumari Puja, and the Sandhi Puja with 108 lamps and lotuses at the Ashtami-Navami junction. Navami has the homa, and Dashami the darpan visarjan, Sindoor Khela and immersion of the image.
Durga Puja 2026, Day by Day
Dates for Kolkata.
- 1
Mahalaya, Saturday 10 October
The end of Pitru Paksha and the start of Devi Paksha: tarpan for the ancestors, the 'Mahishasuramardini' recitation at dawn, and the painting of the images' eyes.
- 2
Maha Shashthi, Saturday 17 October
Kalparambha (the resolve to perform the puja), then in the evening the Bodhon, invitation and adhivas of the Goddess under a bel tree. The images in the pandals are unveiled the same day.
- 3
Maha Saptami, Sunday 18 October
At dawn the Navapatrika (Kolabou) is bathed in a river or in water: nine plants, banana with colocasia, turmeric, jayanti, bel, pomegranate, ashoka, arum and paddy, are tied together, draped in a red-bordered sari and set beside Ganesh. Then the prana pratishtha of the image is performed.
- 4
Maha Ashtami, Monday 19 October
Morning pushpanjali and Kumari Puja, in which a young girl is worshipped as the Goddess (the Kumari Puja at Belur Math is well known). Ashtami tithi ends at 10:51 AM, so the Sandhi Puja falls at about 10:27 to 11:15 AM, with 108 lamps and 108 lotuses.
- 5
Maha Navami, Tuesday 20 October
Navami puja, the Navami homa and bhog. This is the last full day of worship, and its night sees the biggest crowds in the pandals.
- 6
Vijaya Dashami, Wednesday 21 October
After the Dashami puja comes the darpan visarjan (the symbolic immersion of the Goddess's reflection in a mirror), the Debi Boron and Sindoor Khela of married women, then the immersion of the image and the Bijoya greetings.
About Durga Puja
Durga Puja is the main autumn festival of Bengal, Assam, Odisha, Bihar and Tripura, held over the last five days of Navratri. This page gives each day's date from Mahalaya to Vijaya Dashami, and explains rituals such as the Kolabou, Kumari Puja, Sandhi Puja and Sindoor Khela.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is Durga Puja in 2026?
In Kolkata, Maha Shashthi is on 17 October, Saptami on 18, Ashtami on 19, Navami on 20 and Vijaya Dashami on 21 October 2026. Mahalaya is on 10 October.
How is Durga Puja different from Navratri?
Both fall in the same fortnight, Ashwin Shukla. Navratri is nine days of fasting and worship of the Goddess's nine forms, while Bengal's Durga Puja is mainly a five-day communal worship of the Mahishasuramardini image, from Shashthi to Dashami.
What is the Kolabou (Navapatrika)?
The Navapatrika is nine plants tied with a banana plant, bathed at dawn on Saptami, draped in a red-bordered sari and placed beside Ganesh. The nine plants are seen as symbols of nine forms of the Goddess.
When and why is Sindoor Khela played?
On Vijaya Dashami, before the image is immersed. Married women apply sindoor to the Goddess as they bid her farewell, then apply it to one another, wishing each other a long and happy married life.