London Durga Puja

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About London Durga Puja

This group is dedicated to photographs taken by people who have attended Durga Puja in London. Whether you live here or are visiting from elsewhere, we would love to see your photographs.

Durga Puja is the biggest festival on the Bengali calendar. It is celebrated with great pomp and gaiety in Kolkata and across the worls wherever you find a community of hindu Bengali's.

Durgotsav, as it is called in Bengal, starts from Mahalaya – this is the day that Godess Durga is supposed to have started her journey from her husband’s house in Mt. Kailash in the Himalayas to come to her mother’s place in Bengal accompanied by her children. On this auspicious day, early in the morning, at four o’ clock to be precise, a two hour long program is broadcast in Bengali from Akashvani Kolkata. Titled ‘Mahisasurmardini’ (which means ‘the slayer of the demon-in-the-guise-of-a-buffalo’) this program narrates how Durga was conceived, how she was armed with a variety of weapons given by the Gods to destroy the demon and how she achieved her goal in bringing peace and happiness to the World.

This five day festival culminates in "bisarjan" or floating of the deitis in the river Ganga (or any other flowing river when Ganga is beyond reach) and bijoya dashami.