Durga Puja

Durga Puja (ISO: Durgā Pūjā, Bengali pronunciation:), also known as Durgotsava or Sharadotsava, is a major Hindu festival honouring the goddess Durga and commemorating her victory over Mahishasura. It is the biggest festival among Bengali Hindus living in India, and is also celebrated by the Hindus in Bangladesh, the Bhojpuriya and Maithili communities of eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. In 2021, Durga Puja in Kolkata was inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

The festival is observed in the Indian calendar in the month of Ashvin (September–October) on the Hindu luni-solar calendar. It lasts ten days, with the final five being most prominent. Even though Durga Puja and Navaratri are both dedicated to the Hindu goddess Durga and are observed simultaneously, they are not the same festival.

The puja is performed in homes and public spaces with temporary structures (known as pandals), religious recitations, cultural performances, visiting, feasting, and processions; it is central to the Shaktism tradition.

Scriptures portray Durga's defeat of Mahishasura, often interpreted as the triumph of good over evil; some traditions also link the festival with post-monsoon harvest themes. Durga Puja coincides with Navaratri and Dussehra celebrations observed by other traditions of Hinduism.

Alongside Durga, devotees commonly venerate Lakshmi, Saraswati, Ganesha and Kartikeya in West Bengal. Major public celebrations run from Mahalaya to Vijayadashami and conclude with immersion of the images; practices vary by region.

Durga Puja is an old tradition with medieval textual references on Shaktism and detailed manuals from at least the 14th century; elite and community forms expanded under early modern and colonial patronage.