Overview
- Mahashashthi formally began the public Durga Puja rites on Friday, with Kalparambha and Bodhan ceremonies followed by thousands visiting neighbourhood pandals and major temples to offer prayers.
- The hill shrine at Vijayawada’s Kanaka Durga temple reported exceptionally high footfall, with local authorities and temple officials saying more than 90,000 devotees attended during Dasara events.
- State involvement has been visible this year through direct grants and organised programmes, including Tripura’s Rs 7.5 lakh sanction for the royal Durgabari celebrations and Uttar Pradesh’s 'Mission Shakti' recitation schedule in select temples.
- Bengali communities abroad continued festival traditions with events from New York’s Times Square to gatherings in Germany and Canada, combining rituals with cultural programmes that sustain diaspora ties.
- Pandals this year emphasise environmental and social themes, and inclusion efforts reached a milestone when 132 Teesta‑displaced families held their first puja in a new settlement with a state grant of ₹1 lakh, reinforcing community recovery and local livelihoods.