Durga Puja 2026

When Is Durga Puja in 2026?

In 2026, Durga Puja falls on October 16. The observance lasts 5 days (Sasthi through Bijoya Dashami). Because Durga Puja follows a Last 5 days of Navratri (Shashthi to Vijayadashami), Shukla Paksha of Ashwin month (Hindu lunar calendar), the exact Gregorian date shifts each year. The Sasthi tithi of Ashwin Shukla Paksha marks the official start of Durga Puja rituals; the date can differ from the Navratri start by tithi conventions in Bengal vs. North India. UNESCO inscribed Durga Puja as Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2021. Since Durga Puja's date changes from year to year, here are the dates for the next five years so you can plan ahead: Year Date 2026 October 16 2027 October 6 2028 September 25 2029 October 15 2030 October 4

What Time Does Durga Puja Start in Your Time Zone?

Durga Puja falls on the last five days (Shashthi through Dashami) of the bright fortnight of the Hindu month of Ashvin, coinciding with the last five days of Navratri. In 2026, Durga Puja runs from October 14 (Shashthi) to October 17 (Vijayadashami). The most important ritual — the sandhi puja — falls at the cusp between Ashtami and Navami, calculated to the minute by Hindu astrological tables. The sandhi puja is the moment when the goddess is believed to have transformed into her fierce form to kill Mahishasura. The exact timing is calculated as the last 24 minutes of Ashtami and the first 24 minutes of Navami, a window called the sandhikshana. In 2026, this window falls on the night of October 15-16 in India. Diaspora Bengali communities, especially in the UK and US, often hold the major pujas on the corresponding weekend to accommodate working families. The table below shows the observance date for Durga Puja in major time zones around the world: Location Observance Date Time Zone New York, USA October 16 EST/EDT (UTC-5/-4) London, UK October 16 GMT/BST (UTC+0/+1) New Delhi, India October 16 IST (UTC+5:30) Sydney, Australia October 16 AEST/AEDT (UTC+10/+11) Dubai, UAE October 16 GST (UTC+4)

The Story Behind Durga Puja

Durga Puja — also called Durgotsava — is the largest and most important festival of Bengal, celebrated predominantly in the Indian states of West Bengal, Tripura, Assam, and Odisha, and among Bengali communities worldwide. The festival honors the goddess Durga's victory over the buffalo demon Mahishasura, but its cultural significance in Bengal transcends religion — Durga Puja is a public art festival, a community celebration, and a homecoming all rolled into one. In 2021, UNESCO inscribed Durga Puja on its Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list, calling it "the best instance of the public performance of religion and art." According to the Markandeya Purana, the demon Mahishasura had been granted a boon by Brahma that no man or god could defeat him. Empowered, he wreaked havoc on heaven and earth, defeating the gods and driving them from their celestial abode. The gods, in desperation, combined their energies to create a female warrior — Durga — who fought Mahishasura for nine days and nine nights, finally slaying him on the 10th day. Durga Puja commemorates this battle and victory. In Bengal, Durga Puja is also a story of family. The goddess Durga is considered a daughter of the Himalayas, and the festival marks her annual visit to her parental home on Earth with her four children: Ganesha, Kartikeya, Lakshmi, and Saraswati. The idols depict Durga in her mahishasuramardini form — slaying the demon — with her children arrayed around her. The entire festival is framed as a daughter's homecoming, with all the tenderness that implies. When the idols are immersed in the river on the final day, the emotion is bittersweet — the goddess is returning to her husband Shiva's home in the Himalayas, and the city feels her absence.

How Durga Puja Is Celebrated

Durga Puja is celebrated over five days — from the sixth day (Shashthi) of the bright fortnight of Ashvin to the 10th day (Vijayadashami) — though preparations begin months in advance. The heart of the festival is the pandal — a temporary structure built in every neighborhood, housing the idol of Durga. Bengal's pandals are works of public art: each year, neighborhoods compete to create the most innovative pandal, with themes ranging from replicas of world monuments (the Eiffel Tower, the Vatican, the Taj Mahal) to social commentary (climate change, the pandemic, refugee crises). Some pandals cost tens of thousands of dollars to build, funded by community collections and corporate sponsorships. The five days of Durga Puja each have their own rituals. Shashthi (the sixth day) marks the goddess's arrival, with the unveiling of her face (Bodhon). Saptami (the seventh day) begins the formal worship, with the ritual bathing of a banana plant (Nabapatrika) that represents the goddess. Ashtami (the eighth day) is the most important day, with the anjali (flower offerings) at dawn and the sandhi puja at the cusp between Ashtami and Navami, when the goddess is worshipped in her fierce Chamunda form. Navami (the ninth day) continues the worship. Dashami (the 10th day) is the day of immersion (visarjan), when the idols are taken in procession to a river or sea and immersed. Cultural programs are central to Durga Puja. Each pandal hosts evening performances — music, dance, theater — often featuring professional artists. Dhunuchi naach, a devotional dance with earthen pots of burning incense (dhunuchi), is performed by devotees, especially on Ashtami night. Sindoor khela — the smearing of vermilion on each other by married women — is the emotional climax of Dashami, as women offer sindoor to the goddess and to each other in a ritual of marital blessing. The festival is also famous for its food: bhog (the goddess's offered food, typically khichdi, labra, and payesh) is distributed free to all visitors at every pandal, and the streets of Kolkata fill with food stalls serving traditional Bengali sweets and savory snacks. Why Does Durga Puja Move Every Year? Durga Puja is fixed in the Hindu lunisolar calendar, with the five days of worship falling on Shashthi through Dashami of the bright fortnight of Ashvin. The Hindu calendar's leap-month system keeps the festival anchored in September-October. The dates shift each year within a roughly three-week window. Although Durga Puja is most associated with Bengal, the goddess Durga is worshipped across India during Navratri, with regional variations. In Bengal, the focus is on the artistic pandals and the family-of-the-goddess framing. In North India, the same days are observed as Navratri (with fasting and Ram Lila performances) and Dussehra (with the burning of Ravana's effigy). In South India, the festival is observed as Golu (with doll displays) and Ayudha Puja (worship of tools and implements).

Calendar Calculation

Last 5 days of Navratri (Shashthi to Vijayadashami), Shukla Paksha of Ashwin month (Hindu lunar calendar)

Traveling for Durga Puja? Where to Go

Durga Puja is one of the largest travel periods in eastern India. Kolkata sees an estimated 30 million pandal-hoppers during the five days, with entire families walking through the night from pandal to pandal. Hotels in Kolkata book out months in advance, and many residents open their homes to visiting friends and relatives. The festival also draws international tourists who come specifically to witness the art and ritual of the pandals. Beyond Kolkata, the Durga Puja in Dhaka (Bangladesh), where the festival is the largest Hindu celebration in the Muslim-majority country, is also a major tourist attraction. Top destinations for this holiday: Kolkata: — A popular destination with significant celebrations and cultural events. Dhaka: — A popular destination with significant celebrations and cultural events. Cuttack: — A popular destination with significant celebrations and cultural events. Silchar: — A popular destination with significant celebrations and cultural events. Guwahati: — A popular destination with significant celebrations and cultural events. If you're planning to travel for durga puja, compare hotel rates and book early — accommodations in Kolkata fill up weeks before the festival. [Search hotels for Durga Puja travel →]

Did You Know? Durga Puja Facts & Trivia

Durga Puja was inscribed on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list in 2021, recognized as "the best instance of the public performance of religion and art." The festival is the largest public art event in the world, with thousands of elaborate pandals (temporary structures) erected in West Bengal alone. The pandals — temporary structures housing the Durga idols — are works of public art. Each year, Kolkata neighborhoods compete to create the most innovative pandal, with themes ranging from replicas of world monuments (the Eiffel Tower, the Vatican, the Taj Mahal) to social commentary (climate change, the pandemic, refugee crises). The sandhi puja — performed at the cusp between Ashtami and Navami (the 8th and 9th days) — is the most important ritual of Durga Puja. The exact timing is calculated to the minute by Hindu astrological tables, and involves the lighting of 108 lamps and the offering of 108 lotus flowers. Sindoor khela — the smearing of vermilion on each other by married women on Vijayadashami — is the emotional climax of Durga Puja. The ritual symbolizes marital blessing, and the red vermilion is a marker of married status in Hindu tradition.