What are the exact dates for Durga Puja 2026 in West Bengal?

Durga Puja 2026 dates in West Bengal are: Maha Sasthi on Friday, October 16; Maha Saptami spanning two days on Saturday, October 17 & Sunday, October 18; Maha Ashtami on Monday, October 19; Maha Navami on Tuesday, October 20; and Vijaya Dashami (Dussehra) on Wednesday, October 21, 2026.

When is Sandhi Puja 2026 and what is its significance?

Sandhi Puja 2026 occurs on Monday evening, October 19, 2026, at the exact 48-minute astronomical juncture between the final 24 minutes of Ashtami Tithi and the initial 24 minutes of Navami Tithi. Exactly 108 lotus flowers and 108 clay lamps are offered to Goddess Durga in her Chamunda form commemorating the destruction of demons Chanda and Munda.

When is Belur Math Kumari Puja 2026?

Kumari Puja at Belur Math (Howrah) will be held on Maha Ashtami morning, Monday, October 19, 2026. A young girl is worshipped as the living manifestation of Goddess Durga, a sacred tradition initiated by Swami Vivekananda at Belur Math in 1901.

What is Sindoor Khela and on which date will it occur in 2026?

Sindoor Khela takes place on Vijaya Dashami morning, Wednesday, October 21, 2026. Married women offer sweets and vermilion (sindoor) to Maa Durga before she departs for immersion, then playfully apply sindoor to one another wishing for prosperity and long marital life.

Is Durga Puja 2026 an official public holiday in West Bengal?

Yes, West Bengal observes full gazetted public holidays throughout Durga Puja from Maha Sasthi (October 16) to Vijaya Dashami (October 21). Schools, colleges, courts, banks, and government offices remain closed during this festive period.

What is Kola Bou Snan on Maha Saptami 2026?

Kola Bou Snan (Navapatrika Snan) takes place before sunrise on Maha Saptami (October 17 & 18, 2026). A young banana plant bundled with eight other sacred plants wrapped in a red-bordered white sari is bathed in the river Ganga, representing the nine manifestations of Devi Durga (Navadurga).

What is the date for Durga Idol Immersion (Bisarjan) 2026 in Kolkata?

Durga Idol Bisarjan takes place on Vijaya Dashami, Wednesday, October 21, 2026, continuing through the next evening along Kolkata's river ghats like Babughat, Judge's Ghat, and Nimtala Ghat.

Durga Puja 2026(দুর্গাপূজা ২০২৬)

1433 Bengali Panjika • Verified Dates & Timings

Durga Puja 2026 — Maa Durga idol in a Kolkata pandal with Dhaak players and devotees offering Pushpanjali

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About Durga Puja

উৎসব পরিচিতি

Durga Puja 2026 (দুর্গাপূজা ২০২৬), Bengal's grandest festival and a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, takes place from Friday, October 16 to Wednesday, October 21, 2026 (corresponding to 31 Ashwin to 5 Kartik 1433 Bangabda).

Celebrated with unmatched artistic splendour, theatrical lighting, rhythmic Dhaak beats, and profound spiritual devotion, Durga Puja transforms Kolkata and the entire state of West Bengal into an open-air art gallery of thousands of themed pandals. The festival commemorates the victory of Goddess Durga over the buffalo demon Mahishasura, symbolizing the triumph of cosmic righteousness (Dharma) over dark forces.

To Bengalis everywhere, Durga Puja is fundamentally Uma's annual homecoming—a cherished maternal daughter returning with her four divine children: Goddess Lakshmi (wealth & prosperity), Goddess Saraswati (learning & arts), Lord Ganesha (auspicious beginnings), and Lord Kartikeya (courage & protection). For six joyous days, homes and neighborhoods celebrate this divine reunion before bids of tearful farewell on Vijaya Dashami.

History:

The evolution of Durga Puja spans centuries of Bengali heritage:

Aristocratic Origins (Bonedi Barir Puja): Historical accounts record grand Zamindari Durga Pujas dating back to 1610 with the Sabarna Roy Choudhury family in Barisha, Kolkata, followed by Sovabazar Rajbari (1757) started by Raja Nabakrishna Deb.
The Barowari Revolution (1910): In Guptipara, Hooghly, twelve friends established the first 'Barowari' (community) celebration, breaking private aristocratic monopoly and making the festival universally accessible to all people regardless of caste or background.
UNESCO World Heritage Honor (2021): In December 2021, UNESCO inscribed 'Durga Puja in Kolkata' on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, honoring the indigenous clay artisans of Kumartuli, traditional Dhaakis of Murshidabad and Bishnupur, pandal fabricators, and radical social inclusivity.

Complete Durga Puja 2026 Festival Calendar & Ritual Timings:

Maha Sasthi (Friday, October 16, 2026):
Rituals: Kalparambha, Bodhon (awakening of the Goddess under a Bilva tree), Amantran, and Adhivas.
The Goddess's veil is removed, marking the official opening of community pandals.

Maha Saptami (Saturday, October 17 & Sunday, October 18, 2026 — 2 Days):
As per the Bengali Panjika tithi, Maha Saptami spans two consecutive days.
Rituals: Pre-dawn Kola Bou Snan (Navapatrika Snan) at river ghats before sunrise.
Pran Pratishtha (consecration of life into the idols), Saptami Puja, and morning Pushpanjali.

Maha Ashtami (Monday, October 19, 2026):
Rituals: Maha Ashtami morning Pushpanjali (strict fasting observed by devotees).
Kumari Puja: The sacred worship of a young maiden as the living manifestation of Maa Durga, most famously celebrated at Belur Math, Ramakrishna Math.
Sandhi Puja: The critical 48-minute astronomical juncture between Ashtami and Navami Tithi in the evening. 108 earthen diyas and 108 red lotus flowers are offered to Devi Chamunda amidst roaring Dhaak beats and conch shells.

Maha Navami (Tuesday, October 20, 2026):
Rituals: Navami Hom (sacred Vedic fire offering), Maha Arati, and energetic Dhunuchi Naach.
The grand community Bhog feast featuring Bhoger Khichuri, Labra, and Beguni is served to thousands.

Vijaya Dashami (Wednesday, October 21, 2026):
Rituals: Dashami Puja, Darpan Bisarjan, and the celebrated Sindoor Khela where married women smear vermilion on Devi's feet and each other.
Ghat Bisarjan (immersion of the idols in the river Ganga), followed by Bijoya greetings, touching elders' feet for blessings, and sharing sweet dishes like Nimki, Ghugni, and Sandesh.

Rituals & How to Celebrate

Bodhon (Shashthi evening) — the formal awakening and invitation of the Goddess, performed under a bel (wood apple) tree. The idol's face is unveiled. The Puja has officially begun.

Navapatrika Snan (Saptami dawn) — nine plants representing nine forms of Durga are bathed in a river or pond before sunrise and installed beside the main idol. This is performed while the rest of the city is asleep, by the pujari and a small group of devotees.

Pushpanjali — the offering of flowers (typically Bel leaves, red hibiscus, and marigolds) held in both hands while the priest recites Sanskrit shlokas. Devotees repeat after him. Performed on Saptami, Ashtami, and Navami.

Kumari Puja (Ashtami) — a young girl is bathed, dressed in red and white, given the attributes of the Goddess, and worshipped as a living Devi. The Belur Math Kumari Puja is the most famous in Bengal. It was started by Swami Vivekananda in 1901.

Sandhi Puja (the juncture of Ashtami-Navami) — 108 diyas and 108 lotus flowers are offered over 48 minutes. The drumming is uninterrupted. The smoke from clay dhunuchi fills the pandal. This is the moment of the Puja that people feel in their chest.

Dhunuchi Naach — dancing with clay pots of burning coconut husk and camphor, balanced on the palms or held in the mouth, to the beat of the Dhaak. Done before the idol, especially on Ashtami and Navami evenings.

Anjali and Bhog — the communal prasad, particularly the Bhoger Khichuri (lentil rice cooked with vegetables), distributed free to everyone who comes to the pandal. Some of Kolkata's largest pujas serve lunch to tens of thousands of people.

Sindoor Khela (Dashami morning) — married women offer sindoor (vermilion) to the Goddess and then to each other. The scene — red powder on white saris, on faces, on the idol's feet — is one of Bengal's most distinctive images.

Bisarjan (Dashami afternoon/evening) — the procession to the river. The Goddess is carried on shoulders to the ghat. The immersion itself takes only a moment. The sound the idol makes entering the water, and the crowd's response to it, is something no description fully captures.

Traditional Foods & Bhog

Bhoger Khichuri — the soul of Durga Puja eating. A thick, fragrant yellow lentil-rice cooked with ghee and whole spices, served with Labra (mixed vegetable curry) and a list of accompaniments that varies by puja committee. The Khichuri at a good Kolkata puja pandal is cooked in enormous clay pots over wood fire and tastes like nothing you can make at home.

Labra — the accompanying mixed vegetable dish, made with whatever seasonal produce is available: potato, pumpkin, radish, yam, banana flower. Slightly sweet, slightly spiced, cooked together until everything softens into one.

Luchi and Cholar Dal — the home celebration meal, especially on Shashthi and Saptami when families cook properly before the pandal-hopping takes over. White puffed fried bread with thick split-pea curry with coconut and spices.

Beguni — batter-fried brinjal slices, eaten as a side with khichuri or bought hot from street stalls outside the pandal.

Phuchka — the Kolkata version of pani puri, eaten on the street outside pandals, is as much a part of Durga Puja as the Pushpanjali. There is something specific about eating phuchka at 11 PM outside a lit pandal that belongs entirely to this festival.

Egg Roll and Chicken Roll — the Kolkata roll from Nizam's and a hundred imitators: a thin layered paratha wrapped around egg and/or chicken with onion and green chutney. The default pandal-hopping food of North Kolkata.

Rosogolla, Sandesh, Mishti Doi — the sweet table of Durga Puja is long. Sweet shops in Kolkata receive most of their annual revenue in these five days. No family leaves a relative's home without a sweet box.

Payesh — made at home on Ashtami or Navami as a pure offering to the Goddess, then shared within the family. The rice pudding of Durga Puja is an occasion in itself.