In Bengal, Assam, and other eastern Indian states, Durga Puja is a major Hindu festival that is traditionally observed for ten days in the month of Ashwin (September–October), the seventh month of the Hindu calendar. The festival of Durga Puja honors the goddess Durga’s triumph over the demon king Mahishasura. It starts on the same day as Navratri, a nine-night celebration of the divine feminine in many northern and western states (shakti).

Mahalaya marks the goddess’ arrival on the first day of Durga Puja. On Shasti, the sixth day, festivities and worship started. The goddess is venerated as Durga, Lakshmi, and Sarasvati over the following three days. The festivities end on Vijayadashami, also known as the “Tenth Day of Victory,” when a large procession of sacred images is carried into nearby rivers and submerged amid loud chants and drumbeats. That tradition serves as a reminder that the deity is heading to the Himalayas, where she lives with her husband, Shiva. Several pandals (ornately decorated bamboo structures and galleries) and temples have statues of the goddess attacking the demon king Mahishasura while riding a lion.