Durga Puja 2026 begins with Maha Shashthi on Friday, 16 October, and concludes with Vijaya Dashami on Wednesday, 21 October. Mahalaya falls on 10 October, while Maha Ashtami is observed on Monday, 19 October. In Kolkata, Sandhi Puja is generally observed between 10:27 AM and 11:15 AM, although timings may vary depending on the Panjika followed.
When is Durga Puja in 2026?
The main five-day celebrations start on 16 October and end on 21 October. Here is the Durga Puja calendar for 2026, with Kolkata as the reference city and all times in IST.
| Day | Date | Tithi ends | Main rituals |
| Mahalaya | Sat, 10 Oct | Amavasya, 9:20 PM | Tarpan, start of Devi Paksha |
| Maha Shashthi | Fri, 16 Oct | 5:55 AM, 17 Oct | Kalparambha, Bodhan, Amantran, Adhibas |
| Maha Saptami | Sun, 18 Oct | 8:29 AM, 18 Oct | Nabapatrika Snan, Prana Pratishtha |
| Maha Ashtami | Mon, 19 Oct | 10:51 AM, 19 Oct | Pushpanjali, Kumari Puja, Sandhi Puja |
| Maha Navami | Tue, 20 Oct | 12:51 PM, 20 Oct | Navami puja, homa, aarti |
| Vijaya Dashami | Wed, 21 Oct | 2:12 PM, 21 Oct | Baran, Sindoor Khela, Bisarjan |
Why calendars disagree this year: Shashthi ends at about 5:55 AM on 17 October, just after Kolkata sunrise. Saptami then runs until about 8:29 AM on 18 October. That overlap makes some sites show two Saptami dates. Others move Shashthi to 17 October. Bengal's published calendars place Maha Saptami on 18 October. Regional rules differ too. Many all-India calendars list Vijayadashami on 20 October.
What is Durga Puja?
Durga Puja is the autumn worship of Goddess Durga. Bengalis also call it Akalbodhan, which means "untimely awakening". UNESCO added Durga Puja in Kolkata to its Intangible Cultural Heritage list in December 2021. Artisans traditionally craft the idols using clay from the Ganga River. Mahalaya marks the beginning of the festive period, when the eyes of the idols are painted in a sacred ritual. The festival ends with the immersion of the idols in the river.
Navratri runs alongside these days and begins on 11 October in 2026.
How do the rituals and timings run day by day?
Use this as a guide to Durga Puja 2026 rituals. The Durga Puja rituals and timings 2026 below follow Kolkata practice, and each committee sets its own clock times.
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Mahalaya (10 October): Families offer tarpan to ancestors. Devi Paksha begins.
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Maha Shashthi (16 October): Kalparambha comes first. Bodhan, Amantran and Adhibas invite the goddess. Your priest's Panjika decides the Bodhan hour.
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Maha Saptami (18 October): Priests bathe the Nabapatrika, a bundle of nine plants that includes banana, turmeric and bilva. They install it besides the idol. Prana Pratishtha follows.
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Maha Ashtami (19 October): Pushpanjali, Kumari Puja, Ashtami puja and Sandhi Puja all happen today. Committees run several Anjali rounds, so check their schedule.
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Maha Navami (20 October): Navami puja and homa take place, followed by the evening aarti. Dhunuchi dancing often starts now.
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Vijaya Dashami (21 October): Devi Baran, Sindoor Khela, Aparajita Puja and Darpan Bisarjan mark the farewell. Immersion times depend on local ghat arrangements.
Why does Sandhi Puja matter, and what time is it in 2026?
Sandhi means junction. The puja covers the last 24 minutes of Ashtami and the first 24 minutes of Navami, which makes a 48-minute window. Tradition says Goddess Chamunda emerged from Durga at this moment and killed the demons, Chanda and Munda.
The Sandhi Puja date, 2026, is Monday, 19 October. Ashtami ends around 10:51 AM in Kolkata. According to Drik Panchang, the Sandhi Puja 2026 timing is 10:27 AM to 11:15 AM. Another Panjika ends Ashtami earlier and gives a window before 8:30 AM.
| Source | Sandhi window, 19 Oct (IST) | Ashtami ends |
| Drik Panchang, Bisuddha Siddhanta | About 10:27 to 11:15 AM | About 10:51 AM |
| Another traditional Panjika | 7:26 to 8:14 AM | About 7:50 AM |
Drik Panchang notes that the Sandhi window can fall at any hour. Many people expect dusk, but the window follows the tithi. In 2026, it lands in the morning.
Watch out: Do not mix timings from different Panjikas. Your temple or priest sets the window, so use their published time for Bodhan, Anjali and Sandhi Puja.
What goes into a Durga Puja puja samagri list?
A working Durga Puja puja samagri list for a home Ashtami puja looks like this:
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Kalash, mango leaves and a coconut
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Red hibiscus, lotus and bilva leaves
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Sindoor, kumkum, haldi, akshata and chandan
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Diyas, ghee or oil, wicks and camphor
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Incense, dhoop and sambrani
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A dhunuchi with coconut husk for aarti
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Fruit and sweets for bhog
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For Sandhi Puja: 108 lamps, 108 lotuses, uncooked rice, a whole red fruit and a saree or red cloth
Where can you buy Durga Puja items online?
Durga Puja shopping online works best when you divide your shopping list into fresh and packaged items. Buy fresh essentials such as lotus, bilva leaves and hibiscus from a local flower market, while packaged puja samagri such as camphor, incense, kumkum and chandan can be conveniently ordered online. This makes it easier to prepare your Durga Puja samagri list without having to source every item separately.
Cycle.in, by Cycle Pure Agarbathi since 1948, offers a range of puja essentials that can be conveniently ordered online.
Celebrate the nine divine forms of Goddess Durga with the
For Durga Puja essentials online, the Puja Essentials collection lists puja oil, camphor, and ghee diya. Sambrani powder and sambrani cups cover the dhoop. Ask your priest if you need a specific dhuno. Community puja organisers looking for Durga Puja items online in larger quantities can place a bulk enquiry through the bulk enquiry page.
The store processes orders within 2 business days. It ships from different locations, so one order can arrive with more than one tracking update. And shipping is free on orders over ₹499, per the site banner.
