What is the Durga Puja and How is it Celebrated? Facts, Quotes, Traditions and Rituals Around Hindu Warrior Goddess

People across the Indian subcontinent and beyond are marking the annual Durga Puja, a festival which celebrates the central deity in the Shaktism tradition of Hinduism.

Taking place in the Hindu calendar month of Ashvin, the five-day festival runs until Friday and is a riot of color where people celebrate with processions, performance arts and the reciting of scriptures.

The hub of the festival is West Bengal but it is celebrated throughout India, notably in Bihar, Odisha, and Assam. It is also marked in neighboring countries Bangladesh and Nepal, where it is known as Dashain.

The festival marks the victory of the goddess Durga over the buffalo demon Mahishasura, in what is considered a symbolic triumph of good over evil.

But Durga is not the only goddess worshipped- the celebrations sees followers revere the Hindu goddesses of Lakshmi and Saraswati. The gods Ganesha and Kartikeya, considered to be children of Durga are also revered, as is the Hindu god, Shiva.

The first Durga Puja in Bengal was held in the early 1600s and the celebrations involve long prayer rituals are conducted by expert priests.

Devotees revere Durga at lavishly decorated stages known as pandals. These incorporate many themes for visitors known as "pandal hoppers," and no expense is spared to impress them.

The Pally Puja pandal in the Santoshpur area of Kolkata used more than 4,000 kg of turmeric to highlight the health benefits of the staple spice, India Today reported. The Balaka Bengali Cultural Association's Durga Puja will have a five foot five, 13-pound robot called Mitra to greet visitors, The Times of India reported.

Another Puja Pandal boasts a miniature model of a proposed bullet train on display for onlookers. Equally impressive is a 60-foot high pandal at Santosh Mitra Square, which houses a chariot made of 10 tonnes of silver, with Durga wearing a sari weighed down by 70 pounds of gold, TourMyIndia.com reported.

Some of those celebrating have sought draw the attention of worshippers to contemporary issues. A street work in Kolkata has a puja panel with a 300-foot long graffiti capturing the plight of sex workers in the city.

The curator of the project, Debarjoon Kar, told Indianexpress.com: "Durga Puja is about social mingling and celebrations by all, including sex workers. With this graffiti, we are pledging to return their basic rights to live in society, keeping their head high just like others."