Durga Puja, also known as Durgotsava or Sharadotsava, is a major annual Hindu festival honouring the goddess Durga and commemorating her victory over Mahishasura. It is the biggest festival among Bengali Hindus and Maithili Hindus and is widely observed in eastern India and Bangladesh. The festival is observed in the Hindu month of Ashvin, usually in September or October, lasts ten days, and is central to the Shaktism tradition.

Durga is regarded in Shaktism as a principal aspect of Mahadevi and is associated with protection, strength, motherhood, destruction, and wars. Her legends centre on combating evils and demonic forces that threaten peace, dharma and cosmic order.

Observances

Worship is performed in homes and public spaces with temporary structures known as pandals, idol installations, religious recitations, cultural performances, visiting, feasting, and processions. In Kolkata, the capital of West Bengal, Durga Puja is the city’s biggest festival and is marked by large numbers of community pujas. In 2021, Durga Puja in Kolkata was inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Recent incident

A stampede in Kolkata during Durga Puja killed at least 19 people, and 25 were receiving treatment, officials said. Police said the crowd near a pavilion ran for cover as it began raining and some worshippers fell on the road, triggering the stampede. Authorities announced an investigation into crowd-control and safety lapses and advised several heavily attended venues to temporarily close.