The weather turning pleasant, the autumn being heralded through the colorful leaves, the fragrance of celebration hanging in the surroundings is a sure shot sign that Durga Pooja is in the air. Durga Pooja is the biggest festival of all Bengali Hindus in the Indian states of West Bengal, Orissa, Tripura, Assam, Jharkand and other parts of East India and Bangladesh. Even countries like Nepal and Bhutan celebrate the festival with certain variations in the rules and customs. The festival celebrates the homecoming of the goddess Durga and is celebrated from the sixth day to the tenth day of the period of the waxing moon during the sixth month of the Bengali calendar. According to the Gregorian calendar the dates usually fall in the month of September or October.

Durga Pooja was traditionally done during the spring but mythology claims that Lord Rama had to invoke the Goddess during the autumn due to the need of the hour. Rama was involved in a raging battle with Ravana, the king of Lanka, now known as Sri Lanka, and Rama needed the intervention of the goddess to turn the war in his favor. However, with the passage of time the Durga Pooja held in autumn has gained more popularity among the masses and is celebrated with much fanfare. In Calcutta alone, there are over ten thousand pandals (decorated tents) housing the goddess and her family, are created to celebrate Durga Pooja and a competition is held to judge the best out of the lot. The most creatively designed pandal is declared to be the winner and this draws a huge crowd to the venue to get a glimpse of the piece of art.

The artisans who create the idols of the goddess and her entourage are well respected craftsmen who especially come in from the villages to create a superior piece of art with their specialized knowledge. It is indeed disheartening to see this kind of creativity literally going down the water at the end of the festival when the goddess is immersed in the holy waters but its all part of the ritual. Durga Pooja is like a carnival time and even the non Hindus get engulfed in the holiday spirit. In fact once the Durga Pooja starts it is like a chain of festivals taking place one after the other right upto ending the year with Christmas and heralding the New Year.

Durga Pooja sees a mad scramble at shopping places for new clothes and accessories and sweets and gifts for the entire family and close friends. It a time when the rich culture of Bengal finds an elevated platform and is brought to the forefront through a host of cultural programs during the entire five days of the festival. A common saying for the Bengali community claims to have thirteen festivals in the twelve months of a year. However there is no doubt about the fact that out of all the festivals the Durga Pooja remains the biggest and the most important and close to heart festival of all Bengali Hindus across the globe.