Durga Puja

The most important Bengali festival, the puja ('worship') of Durga, goddess of power, takes place throughout the city over 10 days in September/October. The festival is marked with colourful, exuberant processions, where handmade Hindu idols (some over 20 feet tall) are carried aloft to the river, where they are ritualistically submerged. This rite combines ancient tradition with a modern touch, as sometimes the idols used depict movie stars or recent flood victims.