Durga Festival
Every autumn, the sound of dhak drums fills the streets of Kolkata. Huge, lit up pandals rise in every lane, and crowds walk late into the night to see them. This is the Durga festival, better known as Durga Puja. It honours the goddess Durga and her victory over the demon Mahishasura. It is one of the biggest festivals in eastern India.
Our older post on the Durga festival had some mix ups about its days and customs. We have rewritten it with checked facts, simple language and the dates for 2026.
Table of Contents
What Is Durga Puja?
Durga Puja is a major Hindu festival in honour of the goddess Durga. It is also called Durgotsava or Sharadotsava. In Bengal, people also call it Akalbodhan, meaning “the untimely awakening of Durga”, or simply Pujo.
The festival falls in the Hindu month of Ashvin, which comes in September or October. It lasts ten days, and the last five days are the most important.
Durga Puja is the biggest festival of Bengali Hindus. It is also widely celebrated in Assam, Odisha, Bihar, Jharkhand, Tripura and eastern Uttar Pradesh. It is observed in Bangladesh and Nepal too.
In December 2021, UNESCO added Durga Puja in Kolkata to its list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. This list honours living traditions that matter to the whole world.
Durga Puja 2026 Dates
According to the West Bengal government’s holiday calendar for 2026, the main dates are:
- Mahalaya: Saturday, 10 October 2026
- Maha Shashthi: Saturday, 17 October 2026
- Maha Saptami: Sunday, 18 October 2026
- Maha Ashtami: Monday, 19 October 2026
- Maha Navami: Tuesday, 20 October 2026
- Vijaya Dashami: Wednesday, 21 October 2026
- Lakshmi Puja: Sunday, 25 October 2026
The Story Behind the Festival
The most popular legend tells of Mahishasura, a demon who was half buffalo. He prayed for years to please Brahma, the creator. Brahma refused to make him immortal. So Mahishasura asked that only a woman could kill him. He thought women were weak, so he felt safe.
Mahishasura then began to torture people and even took over heaven. The worried gods went to Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. They joined their powers to create a warrior goddess with many arms. The Himalayas gave her a lion to ride.
Mahishasura kept changing his shape as he attacked her. Each time, Durga destroyed his new form. At last, as he was turning into a buffalo, she killed him with her trident. That is why she is also called Mahishasuramardini, which means “slayer of Mahishasura”. The festival celebrates the victory of good over evil.
How Durga Is Shown
Durga rides a lion or a tiger. Her images show her with between eight and eighteen arms, each holding a weapon. In Bengal, she is worshipped along with Lakshmi, Saraswati, Ganesha and Kartikeya. Bengal’s folk traditions see them as her children.
The main text read during the festival is the Devi Mahatmya. Scholars date it to between 400 and 600 CE.
A Long History
Durga is an ancient goddess, and her name appears in the Vedas. No one knows exactly when Durga Puja began. Stone and metal carvings of Durga killing Mahishasura survive from the 12th century in Bengal. Detailed guides for her worship were written from at least the 14th century.
The festival was once mostly a family puja held in homes. Old rich families still hold such pujas, called bonedi pujas. Over time, neighbourhoods began to pool money for public pujas, called barowari or sarvajanin pujas.
The Days of Durga Puja
Mahalaya
The festival begins with Mahalaya. On this day, Hindus make offerings of water and food to their ancestors. Mahalaya marks the end of Pitru Paksha, the fortnight of the ancestors. It also marks the start of Devi Paksha, the fortnight of the goddess.
Many Bengalis wake up at 4 am on Mahalaya to listen to Mahishasuramardini on All India Radio. Around this time, artists paint the eyes on the clay idols. Read more about this day in our post on Pitru Paksha and Mahalaya Amavasya.
Shashthi: The Welcome
On the sixth day, Shashthi, the goddess is welcomed and the main festivities begin. Priests perform rites to awaken her and invite her as a guest. Her presence is placed in a sacred pot and in the idol.
Saptami, Ashtami and Navami
The seventh, eighth and ninth days are the main days of worship. On Saptami, a bundle of nine plants, called the Navapatrika, is bathed in holy water. The nine plants stand for nine forms of the goddess.
Ashtami begins with pushpanjali, an offering of flowers with prayers. The meeting point of the eighth and ninth days is marked by the Sandhi Puja. Scriptures say the goddess Chamunda rose from Durga’s third eye at this moment. She killed the demons Chanda and Munda. During this puja, 108 lotuses are offered and 108 lamps are lit.
Navami is marked by a fire ritual called homa and a holy meal called bhog. Some places also hold Kumari Puja, where a young girl is worshipped as the goddess.
Vijaya Dashami: The Farewell
The tenth day is Vijaya Dashami. This is the day Durga defeated Mahishasura. Married women take part in Sindoor Khela. They offer vermilion, or sindoor, to the goddess’s forehead and feet and offer her sweets. Then they smear sindoor on each other’s faces. It is a wish for a happy married life.
After this, the clay idols are carried in processions to a river or the sea for immersion. Devotees believe Durga returns to her husband Shiva in Kailash.
Pandals, Drums and Dance
Months before the festival, local youth groups collect funds. They hire priests and artists and build pandals, which are temporary halls for the goddess. Many pandals follow creative themes. Kolkata alone hosted more than 3,000 community pujas in 2022.
Many of the clay idols are made in Kumortuli, an old potters’ quarter in north Kolkata. Its artists also send idols abroad.
Drummers called dhakis play large drums called dhaks. People dance with clay incense burners in a dance called dhunuchi naach. New clothes are the usual gift, and families visit pandals together.
The festival matters for the economy too. A 2019 study for the British Council valued the creative industries linked to Durga Puja in West Bengal at ₹32,377 crore. That was about 2.6 percent of the state’s income that year. For more on the Bengal celebrations, see our post on Durga Puja celebration in West Bengal.
How Other States Celebrate
Durga Puja and Navaratri honour the same goddess and fall on the same days. But they are not the same festival. In much of India, the nine nights of Navaratri are devoted to nine forms of Durga, called the Navadurga. Read more in our guide to the Navratri festival.
In Gujarat, Navaratri is one of the main festivals. People dance the Garba, a circle dance, often around a lamp in a clay pot or an image of the goddess. Then they play Dandiya Raas, tapping sticks with a partner. Learn more in our post about Garba dance.
Other related celebrations include Mysore Dasara in Karnataka, Kullu Dussehra in Himachal Pradesh and Bathukamma in Telangana.
Lakshmi Puja After Durga Puja
A few days after Vijaya Dashami, Bengal celebrates Kojagari Lakshmi Puja. It falls on the full moon night of Ashvin. “Kojagari” means “who is awake?” in Bengali. People believe Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, visits homes that night and blesses those who stay awake. In 2026, the West Bengal calendar lists Lakshmi Puja on 25 October.
Caring for Rivers
Idols were once made only of natural things like straw, clay, soil and wood. Today, some idols use cheaper synthetic materials and bright chemical paints. Environmental groups have raised concerns that these can pollute rivers during immersion. Choosing natural clay idols and safe colours helps protect the water.
What We Changed From the Old Post
- The old post said Mahalaya comes a fortnight before Devi Paksha. In fact, Mahalaya marks the end of Pitru Paksha and the start of Devi Paksha.
- It said Lakshmi is worshipped about 15 days after Vijaya Dashami. Kojagari Lakshmi Puja falls on the full moon, only a few days later. In 2026, the gap is four days.
- It said Durga has nine hands in Navaratri and ten in Bengal. Her images show eight to eighteen arms, so we removed that claim.
- It listed Delhi, Gujarat and Maharashtra as the next biggest centres. We now name the states where Durga Puja is most widely observed, and explain Navaratri separately.
- We fixed spellings such as “Mahisasura” and “Nabami”, and added the UNESCO listing, the 2026 dates and the meaning of each day.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is Durga Puja in 2026?
The main days run from Maha Shashthi on 17 October to Vijaya Dashami on 21 October 2026. Mahalaya was on 10 October.
Is Durga Puja the same as Navaratri?
No. Both honour Durga and fall on the same days, but they are different festivals with different customs.
Why is Durga Puja on the UNESCO list?
In 2021, UNESCO listed Durga Puja in Kolkata as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, a living tradition of world importance.
What is Sindoor Khela?
It is a ritual on Vijaya Dashami where married women offer sindoor to the goddess and then apply it on each other’s faces.