Durga Puja Oct 19, 2023

Durga Puja is a Hindu festival spanning ten days, according to the Hindu calendar. Devotees set up pandals and display huge idols of Goddess Durga along with Saraswati, Lakshmi, Lord Ganesha and Kartikeya. Durga can be seen defeating the demon Mahishasura, symbolising the triumph of good over evil. Each year, as the festival approaches, the atmosphere of Kolkata undergoes a transformation as communities come together to celebrate. Months ahead of the festival artisans construct exquisite idols of the goddess, after which they are meticulously adorned with vibrant clothing as well as jewellery. In December 2021, the United Nations recognised Durga Puja in Kolkata as part of the world"s cultural heritage. It"s now listed as an "Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity" by UNESCO. On the last day of the festival, the clay idols are immersed in the same river from which the earth was sourced along with the beating of drums.

© Rob Pinney/Alamy Stock Photo

palette

Today in History

Wait, mountain – you shall bear my castle!
Oct 19, 2024Temple of Hathor, Dendera Temple Complex, Qena, Egypt
Oct 19, 2025Apples ready for harvest, Minnesota, United States

More Desktop Wallpapers:

A convocation of eagles assembles
Feb 5, 2025Waitangi Day in New Zealand
Jan 12, 2025Crescent-tail bigeye fish, Great Barrier Reef, Australia
Dec 7, 2024Orchha Fort complex, Orchha, Madhya Pradesh
Mar 20, 2025Spring equinox
Feb 27, 2026International Polar Bear Day
Jan 25, 2025Porto, Portugal
Why is this cliffside ablaze?
Apr 1, 2025Tree frog, Costa Rica
Dec 26, 2024Boxing Day
Jun 8, 2025World Oceans Day
Feb 9, 2024Pegadung Rock, Lampung, Sumatra, Indonesia
Mar 31, 2026Paradise Cave, Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, Vietnam
A cantilevered window to the past
Dec 8, 2025Christmas lights on buildings of Domaso, Lake Como, Italy
Angry bird, doting dad
Nov 2, 2025Maple and bamboo forests in Arashiyama, Kyoto, Japan
See-through cephalopod
Sharks, just living their lives
Apr 24, 2025Spire Cove in Kenai Fjords National Park, Seward, Alaska, United States
Aug 15, 2025Independence Day
Dec 6, 2024Finnish Independence Day
Feb 28, 2026Oloupena Falls, island of Molokai, Hawaii, United States
Mar 28, 2025Black-naped monarch
Our forgotten forests
Perfect, pastoral Palouse
Rocks rock!
A mirror reflecting natures beauty
Oct 20, 2023Pygmy three-toed sloth baby, Isla Escudo de Veraguas, Panama
Feb 15, 2025The natural ice wall of Misotsuchi, Chichibu, Japan