Durga Puja is the sacred five day festival of the Bengali Hindu community held in honour of Goddess Durga and to celebrate her annual homecoming. This year, the occassion is to be observed from 5th October (Shasthi) to 9th October (Dashami). Scroll down and have a look at the Puja schedule for the year 2008 based on the IST (Indian Standard Time). Sasthi is believed to be the day on which the Mother Goddess arrives on the earth with her children. This year the goddess arrives on a palanquin and departs on an elephant. Goddess Durga's arrival on palanquin signifies an outbreak of epidemic while her departure on elephant signifies good harvest. To pass on this page to your friends and near ones, just click here. Shubh Durgotsav!

Note: The Puja timings, being based on the lunar month, often spread over to the next day or night. Sashthi is the day for the inauguration, though the main part of the Puja spreads over four days from the day of Saptami to the day of the Bijoya Dashami on which the immersion takes place. So it may not match, as is the case this year, with the days of the Calendar we follow.

Bengali Dates	Puja Days	Special Event of the day	Ends at
18th Aashwin	5th OCTOBER SUNDAY	SHASHTI "Kalparambho" ( Within 9:27am); Durga Devi "BODHON" "Amantran" and "Adhibas' in the evening	8:32pm from 6:29pm of previous day
19th Aashwin	6th OCTOBER MONDAY	SAPTAMI "Nabo Patrika" ( Within 9:27am); Predawn bathing of "Kola Bou"	10:36pm from 8:33pm of previous day
20th Aashwin	7th OCTOBER TUESDAY	ASHTAMI Sandhi Puja (00:05am-00:53am); Sacrifice- 00:29am	00:29am from 10:37pm previous day
21st Aashwin	8th OCTOBER WEDNESDAY	NABAMI	2:04am next day from 00:30am of previous day
22nd Aashwin	9th OCTOBER THURSDAY	DASHAMI (Immersion within 9:27am)	3:15am next day from 2:05am of that day

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