Durga Puja 2025 Dates: Maha Ashtami, Maha Navami & Dussehra Schedule – Full Festival Calendar

Durga Puja 2025 Dates: Full Schedule, Rituals, Start & End Time of the Grand Festival

Durga Puja 2025: One of the most awaited Hindu festivals, will begin on September 28, 2025 and conclude on October 2, 2025 with Vijayadashami. This ten-day festival, especially grand in West Bengal, celebrates Maa Durga’s victory over Mahishasura, symbolising the eternal triumph of good over evil. Devotees across India and abroad participate in rituals, visit pandals and enjoy cultural performances during this sacred time.

Durga Puja 2025 Start and End Date

Durga Puja celebrates the divine power of Goddess Durga, who defeated the buffalo demon Mahishasura after nine days of battle. It is a festival of faith, strength, and cultural unity. Apart from worshipping Maa Durga, devotees also venerate Goddess Lakshmi, Goddess Saraswati, Lord Ganesha, and Lord Kartikeya.

Major Rituals of Durga Puja 2025

• Maha Shashthi (Bodhon): This marks the beginning of Durga Puja, where Goddess Durga and her family are invoked with rituals and prayers, symbolising her arrival on Earth.
• Maha Saptami (Navapatrika Snan): On this day, nine sacred plants are worshipped as Navapatrika, representing Durga’s power. The idol is bathed and adorned with rituals that highlight the goddess’s nurturing role.
• Maha Ashtami: The most sacred day of the festival. Devotees perform Sandhi Puja and Kumari Puja, offering prayers, flowers, and bhog to Maa Durga with great devotion.
• Maha Navami: Devotees perform Maha Aarti and Homa (fire ritual). Families gather to enjoy cultural programs, music, dance, and share traditional bhog and prasad.
• Vijayadashami (Sindoor Khela & Visarjan): On the final day, devotees bid farewell to Goddess Durga. Married women participate in Sindoor Khela, smearing vermilion as a symbol of power and prosperity. The immersion of idols (Durga Visarjan) marks the goddess’s return to her celestial abode.

• Bodhana & Adhivasa: Invocation rituals performed on Maha Shashthi.
• Sandhi Puja & Pushpanjali: Special prayers during Ashtami.
• Homa & Kumari Puja: Sacred fire rituals and worship of young girls as divine forms.
• Sindoor Khela & Dhunuchi Naach: Unique to Bengal, blending devotion with cultural richness.

In West Bengal, especially in Kolkata, grand pandals are set up with artistic themes. Cultural events, music, dance, and community feasts make Durga Puja not just a religious celebration but also a vibrant cultural festival that brings people together.

Durga Puja 2025 is a celebration of spirituality, culture, and the goddess’s divine energy. Beginning on September 28 and ending with Vijayadashami on October 2, it is a time of devotion, joy, and cultural unity.