Durga Puja 2198

Durga Puja (দুর্গাপূজা) is the great autumn festival of Bengal, when Ma Durga comes home to her parents with her children, Lakshmi, Saraswati, Kartik and Ganesh. Sri Rama, by tradition, worshipped her out of season before his battle with Ravana; this akal bodhon is the autumn puja kept ever since.

Mahalaya opens Devi Paksha with tarpanam at dawn and the Mahishasuramardini recitation. On Shashthi the Goddess is awakened (Bodhon) beneath a bel tree. On Maha Saptami the Nabapatrika, nine plants bound as the Goddess, is bathed in the river at dawn and installed beside Ganesh. Maha Ashtami brings the Kumari Puja and the Sandhi Puja with a hundred and eight lamps and lotuses at the meeting of Ashtami and Navami, and Maha Navami the final worship.

On Vijaya Dashami married women smear sindoor on the Goddess and on one another in Sindoor Khela, the images are taken to the river for immersion, and families greet one another with "Shubho Bijoya".