Durga Puja 2023

Autumn festival of Durga, culminating in Vijayadashami and immersion.

Durga Puja honours the Divine Mother through the victory narrative of the Devi Mahatmya. In its story, the buffalo-form asura Mahishasura defeats the gods and threatens the worlds. The gods' united brilliance manifests as Durga; each offers her weapons and divine power. She battles the asura's armies, confronts Mahishasura as he shifts forms and finally defeats him. Other chapters recount the Goddess confronting Shumbha, Nishumbha and Raktabija. These are related but distinct episodes, not a historically dated sequence assigned to each Puja day. In Bengal she is also affectionately welcomed as a daughter returning to her maternal home with her children.

The autumn celebration begins in the wider season of Mahalaya and Bodhan, the ritual awakening or invitation of the Goddess. On Maha Shashthi the face of the image is ceremonially unveiled in many traditions. Saptami brings bathing or consecration rites of the Nabapatrika, Ashtami features anjali and worship, and the transition between Ashtami and Navami is marked by Sandhi Puja. Navami worship and offerings lead to Dashami, when devotees bid the Goddess farewell, often with sindoor khela in participating communities and immersion of clay images. Customs vary by temple, family and region.

In West Bengal, Tripura, Assam and Odisha the festival is a major expression of collective artistry. Clay-image makers, decorators, musicians and volunteers create pandals that welcome the public. UNESCO inscribed Durga Puja in Kolkata on its Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2021. A single database entry for Shashthi cannot represent all ceremonies: Bodhan, Sandhi Puja, Navami Homa and Dashami need separate local tithi and muhurta calculations.

Durga Puja honours the Goddess's victory over Mahishasura and brings together worship, artistry and community life.

Bodhan, pandal worship, anjali, aarti and Dashami farewell follow regional tradition; Sandhi Puja and Navami Homa have distinct timings.

Most prominent in West Bengal, Tripura, Assam and Odisha; it overlaps with Navratri but has distinctive Bengali and eastern rituals.