A sombre mood hung over West Bengal on Wednesday, 21 October 2026, as women across the state observed Vijaya Dashami — the concluding day of Durga Puja — with traditional rituals of vermilion, betel leaves, and sweetmeat offerings, even as grief over the Chorbagan Sarbojonin stampede that killed 19 people on 17 October cast a long shadow over the farewell.

The tradition of welcoming a mother, bidding farewell to a daughter

In traditional Bengali culture, Goddess Durga is welcomed as a 'mother' on Maha Sasthi, the first day of the festival. Yet on Vijaya Dashami, the same deity is bid farewell as a 'daughter' — a distinction that gives the occasion its distinctive emotional weight. The four days of Durga Puja are understood, culturally, as a daughter's brief return from her husband's home.

Sanjukta Sinha, a corporate professional, explained the sentiment: 'For us, the four days of Durga Puja represent a daughter visiting her parental home from her in-laws' place. Now, she is returning to her in-laws for another year, and we bid her farewell through these rituals where vermilion, a sacred symbol for married women, plays a central role.'

How the rituals unfolded across pandals

Women, mostly draped in white sarees with red borders, gathered at Puja pandals across the state on Wednesday morning. Following established custom, they first covered the face of the Durga idol with a betel leaf, smeared vermilion on her forehead and cheeks, and offered sweetmeats. The rituals concluded with Sindoor Khela — women applying vermilion on each other's foreheads and cheeks in a gesture of collective celebration and solidarity.

A muted Vijaya Dashami in the shadow of the stampede

The festive enthusiasm that typically marks Vijaya Dashami — dancing to the beats of the dhak (traditional drums), public merriment, and processions — was largely absent this year. Many women chose to forgo those elements out of respect for the 19 victims of the Chorbagan Sarbojonin community Durga Puja pandal stampede in North Kolkata, which occurred on the night of 17 October. Several devotees were seen offering prayers to Goddess Durga for strength for the bereaved families.

This is not the first time that a tragedy during or around Durga Puja has cast a shadow on the festivities, but the scale of the Chorbagan incident — the deadliest crowd-crush associated with the festival in recent memory — made the restraint this year particularly pronounced.

Idol immersion and what comes next

Following the farewell rituals at the pandals, idol immersions — known as Bisarjan — took place at Kolkata's ghats and waterbodies, concluding the 2026 Durga Puja season. Authorities had deployed additional personnel at immersion sites, particularly in light of the recent stampede. The conclusion of Vijaya Dashami also traditionally marks the beginning of preparations for Lakshmi Puja, the next major festival in the Bengali calendar.