Durga Puja 2026 in Bengal runs from Maha Shashthi (Bodhon) on Saturday 17 October to Vijaya Dashami on Wednesday 21 October. Mahalaya is on 10 October. Maha Ashtami is on 19 October, with Sandhi Puja the same day at 10:29–11:17 AM. The West Bengal government’s 2026 holiday list has the same dates.
Durga Puja 2026 calendar
The tithi at sunrise in Kolkata; its end time in Indian Standard Time, the same for all of India.
| Date | Day and rites | Tithi |
|---|---|---|
| 10 October Saturday | Mahalaya Ashvin Amavasya: the last day of Pitru Paksha, with tarpan for the ancestors. In Bengal it is taken as the start of the Puja season; the Devi Paksha begins the next day. | Amavasya until 10 October 2026 9:21 PM |
| 11 October Sunday | Devi Paksha, Pratipada The first day of Sharad Navratri, Ghatasthapana | Pratipada until 11 October 2026 9:32 PM |
| 16 October Friday | Shashthi (begins) Bilva Nimantran: the goddess is invited at a bel tree | Shashthi until 17 October 2026 5:55 AM |
| 17 October Saturday | Maha Shashthi Kalparambha (the vow to hold the puja), Akal Bodhon (awakening the goddess), Amantran and Adhivas | Shashthi until 17 October 2026 5:55 AM |
| 18 October Sunday | Maha Saptami Bathing and installing the Navapatrika (Kolabou), prana pratishtha, the Saptami puja | Saptami until 18 October 2026 8:29 AM |
| 19 October Monday | Maha Ashtami The Ashtami puja and pushpanjali, Kumari Puja, Sandhi Puja; Navami begins later the same day | Ashtami until 19 October 2026 10:53 AM |
| 20 October Tuesday | Maha Navami The Navami puja and Navami homa (Dussehra in North India falls on this day) | Navami until 20 October 2026 12:52 PM |
| 21 October Wednesday | Vijaya Dashami Sindoor Khela, immersion of the images, Bijoya greetings | Dashami until 21 October 2026 2:13 PM |
Sandhi Puja time (19 October 2026)
10:29–11:17 AM
The Ashtami tithi runs from 18 October 2026 8:29 AM to 19 October 2026 10:53 AM, and Navami after it until 20 October 2026 12:52 PM. Sandhi Puja is held in the last 24 minutes of Ashtami and the first 24 minutes of Navami. The tithi changes at a single moment, so the window is the same in Kolkata, Delhi, Mumbai or any Indian city. Drik Panchang has Ashtami for Kolkata from 8:27 AM on 18 October to 10:51 AM on 19 October; our calculation comes a minute or two later.
By tradition, 108 lamps are lit and 108 lotuses offered at Sandhi Puja. In Bengal this is linked to the story in the Krittivasi Ramayana, where Rama worships the goddess in autumn before his battle with Ravana; when one lotus is missing he is ready to offer one of his eyes, and the goddess appears. The episode is not in the Valmiki Ramayana.
What happens on each day
Mahalaya (10 October)
Ashvin Amavasya is the last day of Pitru Paksha, when tarpan is offered to the ancestors. In Bengal it is a custom to listen at dawn to All India Radio’s “Mahishasuramardini”, with Birendra Krishna Bhadra’s Chandi recitation. The Devi Paksha begins the next day.
Shashthi: Bodhon (16–17 October)
By tradition the gods are asleep in autumn, so in Bengal the autumn puja is called “Akal Bodhon”: awakening the goddess out of season. On Shashthi the goddess is awakened and invited at a bel tree, and at Kalparambha the vow to hold the puja is taken. This year Shashthi runs from the early hours of 16 October to just after sunrise on 17 October, so Drik Panchang gives Bilva Nimantran on the 16th and Kalparambha, Bodhon, Amantran and Adhivas on 17 October.
Maha Saptami: Navapatrika (18 October)
On the morning of Saptami the Navapatrika, a bundle of nine plants with a banana plant and a branch of bel, is bathed in a river or pond, wrapped in a white sari with a red border and set beside Ganesha. In everyday speech it is called “Kolabou” (the banana bride). Then the image is consecrated (prana pratishtha) and the Saptami puja is held.
Maha Ashtami and Maha Navami (19–20 October)
On the morning of Ashtami flowers are offered (pushpanjali), and many pujas hold Kumari Puja. Sandhi Puja is held where Ashtami meets Navami. On Navami the Navami puja and homa are held. The Durga Saptashati (Chandi), chapters 81–93 of the Markandeya Purana, is recited through the puja.
Vijaya Dashami (21 October)
On Dashami, after the puja ends, married women offer sindoor and sweets to the goddess, bid her farewell and play Sindoor Khela, and then the image is immersed in water. After it people exchange Bijoya greetings. Sindoor Khela and Bijoya are folk customs.
Durga Puja 2026: questions and answers
When is Durga Puja 2026?
In Bengal, Durga Puja 2026 runs from Saturday 17 October (Maha Shashthi) to Wednesday 21 October (Vijaya Dashami): Maha Saptami on Sunday 18 October, Maha Ashtami on Monday 19 October and Maha Navami on Tuesday 20 October. Bilva Nimantran is on Friday 16 October.
When does Durga Puja 2026 end?
On Wednesday, 21 October 2026, Vijaya Dashami, with Sindoor Khela and the immersion of the images (the West Bengal government’s 2026 holiday list has Vijaya Dashami on the same day). The Dashami tithi runs from 12:52 PM on 20 October to 2:13 PM on 21 October.
What is the Maha Ashtami pushpanjali time in 2026?
By tradition, pushpanjali is offered during the Ashtami tithi, after the morning Ashtami puja. On 19 October sunrise in Kolkata is at 5:35 AM and Ashtami lasts until 10:53 AM (Drik Panchang: 10:51 AM); each puja pandal announces its own time.
What is the Sandhi Puja time in 2026?
Monday 19 October 2026, 10:29–11:17 AM: the last 24 minutes of Ashtami and the first 24 of Navami. The tithi changes at a single moment, so in Indian Standard Time the window is the same in Kolkata, Delhi and all of India. Drik Panchang has Ashtami ending at 10:51 AM; a minute or two of difference is normal.
When is Mahalaya 2026?
On Saturday 10 October 2026, Ashvin Amavasya. It is also Sarva Pitru Amavasya, the last day of Pitru Paksha.
Why is Vijaya Dashami on 21 October in Bengal but Dussehra on 20 October?
The Dashami tithi begins on 20 October at 12:52 PM and lasts until 2:13 PM on 21 October. Drik Panchang gives Dussehra on 20 October for New Delhi, when Dashami holds in the afternoon (Aparahna); the Bengali panjika and the West Bengal government list keep Vijaya Dashami on 21 October, the day Dashami holds at sunrise. The images are immersed that day.
What is Sindoor Khela?
On Vijaya Dashami, before the immersion, married women offer sindoor and sweets to the goddess and bid her farewell (Debi Baran), then put sindoor on one another. It is a Bengali folk custom, not a scriptural rite; when it began is not known.
What is Kumari Puja?
In Kumari Puja a young girl is worshipped as a form of the goddess. In Bengal it is held by tradition on Maha Ashtami (19 October); the Kanya Puja of North India rests on the same idea.
Sources
- Dates and the rites of each day: Drik Panchang, 2026 Durga Puja Calendar (Kolkata), and its Mahashtami and Navpatrika Puja pages (seen 2 October 2026)
- West Bengal Finance (Audit) Department, notification 4188-F(P2), 27 November 2025: holidays for 2026 (Mahalaya 10 October; Maha Shashthi 17; Maha Ashtami 19; Maha Nabami 20; Vijaya Dashami 21 October)
- Tithi and Sandhi Puja times: SanatanBodh panchang calculation (astronomy-engine, Lahiri ayanamsha); method: sanatanbodh.in/en/panchang/ganana-vidhi/
- Markandeya Purana, chapters 81–93 (Durga Saptashati / Devi Mahatmya)
- Krittivasi Ramayana (Bengali, 15th century): Rama’s untimely awakening (Akal Bodhon) of the goddess
- Sindoor Khela, Kumari Puja and Bijoya: Bengali folk tradition
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