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Durga Puja 2026 is just around the corner, with Bengali communities across India, from Kolkata to Mumbai and Delhi, preparing for five days of elaborate pandals, cultural performances, festive food and bhog. One of the most significant festivals in the Bengali calendar, Durga Puja celebrates Goddess Durga’s victory over the buffalo demon Mahishasura, symbolising the triumph of good over evil and the power of the divine feminine to overcome darkness and restore cosmic balance.
While the celebrations span several days, the festival is as much a cultural occasion as a religious one, bringing communities together through music, dance, art, food and the ritual of pandal-hopping. For many, it is also a time to reconnect with Bengali traditions, whether through elaborate pujo rituals, adda with friends and family, or plates of khichuri bhog. This year, the main Durga Puja celebrations, also known as Durga Pujo, run from October 17 to October 21, 2026. If you're planning to join the festivities, here's a look at the key dates to know.
How is Durga Puja celebrated, and how is it different from Navratri?
As per Hindu mythology, the gods created Durga, combining their divine energies to defeat the demon Mahishasura, who nearly became invincible. But isn't Durga Puja just Navratri with a different playlist? Not quite. While both the festivals honour Goddess Durga, Pujo – centred around the arrival of the goddess – starts on Sasthi (the sixth day of Navratri) and is celebrated by communities from the eastern parts of India: West Bengal, Assam, Odisha, and Tripura.
Navratri is observed over nine nights, worshipping nine forms of Durga, and is celebrated across northern, western, and southern India: Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu. Beyond the festival rituals and regional food and cultural traditions, Navratri includes Garba and Dandiya dance as a major part of the celebration, while Durga Puja features Dhak beats and Dhunuchi Naach as part of the festivities.
Want to celebrate Navratri in full force? Read here to discover the best Navratri thalis in Mumbai, and the best Garba nights in Mumbai.
If you're planning to visit a Durga Puja pandal to attend the aartis, bhoj and pushpanjali, or simply soak up the festive atmosphere, here's your calendar of key Durga Puja dates and the significance of each day.
Durga Puja 2026: Dates and significance of each day
Durga Puja starts on the sixth day of Navratri with Shashthi rituals on Friday, October 16, 2026, and ends on Vijayadashami (starting on Tuesday, October 20, and ending on Wednesday, October 21, 2026). As per Drig Panchang, here are the Durga Puja 2026 dates and their significance:
Friday, October 16, 2026: Shashthi
Shashthi marks the formal beginning of the key Durga Puja celebrations in the Bengali Hindu calendar, welcoming the goddess Durga. Rituals like Bodhon, Amantran, and Adhibas symbolise awakening the goddess and inviting her to the festive celebrations and worship preparations.
Saturday, October 17, 2026: Saptami
Saptami begins with the Nabapatrika snan, a bathing ritual involving a bundle of nine plants representing different forms of the goddess. The Nabapatrika is dressed in a saree and worshipped as part of the ceremony. Prana Pratishtha is another ritual of invoking the deity in the idol on this day, and the day's puja follows.
Sunday, October 18, 2026: Ashtami
This day is often considered the spiritual high point of Durga Puja and Navratri, and is marked by pushpanjali (offering flowers during prayer) and Kumari Puja, in which a young girl/girls are worshipped as a manifestation of the goddess. Additionally, Sandhi Puja is performed at the junction of Ashtami-Navami (ninth day) and commemorates the goddess's fierce form, Chamunda, defeating the demons Chanda and Munda.
Monday, October 19, 2026: Maha Navami
Navami honours the goddess Durga’s victory over the demon Mahishasura and is marked by special prayers, aartis, and Navami yagna (homa), a sacred fire ritual. This is the day when devotees gather for worship and offerings, while cultural programmes and community feasts continue across pandals. It is the last full day of the key celebrations before the farewell rituals start.
Tuesday-Wednesday, October 20-21, 2026: Bijoya Dashami
Bijoya Dashami (or Vijaydashmi) concludes the Bengali Durga Puja festivities, and devotees bid farewell to the goddess before the immersion procession begins. In many Bengali communities, married women participate in Sindoor Khela – a ritual of applying vermilion to the goddess and one another, and families exchange sweets and greetings. This day is a blend of celebration and farewell, as devotees say goodbye to the goddess and look forward to welcoming her back next year.