Photo Feature: 25 Pictures of Durga Puja in Kolkata

Durga Puja is the biggest and most important occasion of the year in Kolkata, the capital of West Bengal. The festival sees huge, elaborately-crafted statutes of Goddess Durga installed in homes and lavishly decorated podiums (called pandals) all over the city. At the end of the festival, the statutes are paraded through the streets, accompanied by much music and dancing, and then immersed in the Hooghly River (a distributary of the Ganges River in Kolkata). The magnificence of the festival, from start to end, is revealed in these Durga Puja pictures.

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Making Goddess Durga

Making Durga. — Tuul and Bruno Morandi/Getty Images

The majority of Durga idols are crafted in Kumartuli in north Kolkata, around 30 minutes drive from the city center. The name literally means "potter's locality" and as it suggests, the area was settled by a group of potters. You can go to the workshops and see the idols being made.

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Drawing the Eyes on Durga

The eyes are drawn on the idols of Goddess Durga during a special ritual called Chokkhu Daan. This is performed on Mahalaya, about a week before the start of the Durga Puja festival. The Goddess is invited to come to earth on this day.

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Installing the Durga Idols

Durga Puja in Kolkata. — Frédéric Soltan / Contributor/Getty Images

Depending on their size, the idols are transported on special trolleys and in trucks to be installed.

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Durga Puja Pandals

Traditional Durga Puja pandal. — RNMitra/Getty Images

There are thousands of pandals in Kolkata and each has a different theme. Some maintain traditional displays, while others are contemporary. The one pictured here has a traditional design. A highlight of the Durga Puja is visiting all the different pandals (known as pandal hopping).

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Traditional Durga Idol

Durga is depicted with her four children, Kartikeya, Ganesha, Saraswati, and Lakshmi. Traditional Durga idols are decorated with plenty of ornaments and bling.

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Durga Idol Close-Up

Durga Puja idol closeup. — Soumen Nath Photography/Getty Images

The idols are intricately and thoughtfully crafted in great detail.

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Durga Puja Pandal Exterior

Kolkata Durga Puja pandal. — RNMitra/Getty Images

The exterior of the pandal is a big attraction.

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Contemporary Themes

Durga Puja Pandal exterior. — RNMitra/Getty Images

The trend for contemporary themes is growing, with organizers competing to draw the crowds. A lot of effort is put into the decorations.

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Huge Crowds

Durga Puja Pandal at Kolkata. — RNMitra/Getty Images

Expect huge crowds at the most popular Durga Puja pandals.

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World's Biggest Durga Idol

Some pandals aim to craft the biggest Durga idol. This one stands 70 feet tall.

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Contemporary Durga Idol

Contemporary Durga idols are crafted in different styles, typically without the rich decorations that the traditional idols have.

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Themes Focused on Regional Culture

Durga Puja Pandal — Jagdish Agarwal/Getty Images.

Regional culture is a popular Durga Puja theme, with many of the pandals decorated with various styles of folk art.

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Lighting and Special Effects

settings Kolkata gets ready for Durga Puja — NurPhoto / Contributor/Getty Images

Other pandals use high-tech lighting and special effects to woo the crowds.

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Eye-Catching Decorations

settings Durga Puja decoration Beautiful decoration of Durga idol during Durga puja celebration in Kolkata, India. — tapasbiswasphotography/Getty Images

The decorations can be as eye-catching as the idols.

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Spectacular Displays

Durga Puja Pandal in Kolkata — RNMitra/Getty Images

No matter what the theme, it's always exciting to enter the pandals and be enthralled by the mesmerizing displays.

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Bonedi Bari Pujas

Debi Boron @ Da Bari, Kolkata — suman roychoudhury / Contributor/Getty Images

Traditional "Bonedi Bari" pujas are held in the city's palatial old private mansions. The mansions belong to affluent aristocratic zamindar (landowner) families who have been carrying on the pujas for centuries. They're spread out across Kolkata (as well as other major towns in Bengal). Two of the most famous ones are Sovabazar Raj Bari and Rani Rashmoni Bari.

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Seeking Durga's Blessing

Durga Puja. — Tuul & Bruno Morandi/Getty Images.

Devotees, especially women, come to seek Goddess Durga's blessing during the festival.

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Durga Puja Worship and Rituals

At certain times of the day, pandits (Hindu priests) perform aarti ceremonies (worship with fire) for the Goddess. These are popularly attended by devotees. Worship is concluded with a maha aarti (great fire ceremony), which marks the end of the important rituals and prayers.

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Performing the Dhunuchi Dance

Dhunuchi Dance at Durga Puja — Shivang Mehta/Getty Images

A popular part of Durga Puja rituals is the performance, by devotees, of the Dhunuchi dance in front of the Goddess. This is done with a clay pot (a dhunuchi) filled with a smoking mixture of camphor, incense and coconut husk. The dance is accompanied by traditional drums and drummers.

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Sindoor Khela Ritual

Durga Puja Vamillion — Subhendu Sarkar / Getty Images

On the last day of the festival, Goddess Durga returns to her husband's abode and the statutes are taken for immersion. Married women offer red vermillion powder (sindoor) to the Goddess and smear themselves with it (this powder denotes the status of marriage, and hence fertility and bearing of children). This ritual is known as Sindoor Khela.

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A Final Goodbye

Devotees praying and dancing in-front of Durga idol before immersing in the river during Durga Puja festival — ajijchan/Getty Images

Devotees pray and dance in front of the Durga idols before the idol is taken for immersion.

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The End of the Durga Puja Festival

At the conclusion of the festival, after worship has been completed, the idols of Goddess Durga are taken out in procession and immersed in the Hooghly River.

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Durga Immersion

After the immersion process, low-caste men stand in the river and ensure that the thousands of Durga idols make their way down the river safely. They will stand there in the water for hours upon hours, pushing the statues along into the current. For their trouble they are allowed to remove any remaining valuables from the idols, such as bracelets and plastic jewels.

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Environmental Pollution

Durga Puja idols are thrown out to the Hooghly river. — Tuul & Bruno Morandi/Getty Images

Unfortunately, pollution is a big concern following the festival. Although many Durga idols are made out of clay, they are covered in toxic paint and their decorations are non-biodegradable. This clogs the river where the idols have been immersed.