Bengali women at Chittaranjan Park (CR Park), New Delhi, apply vermillion (sindoor) to one another, marking the start of the cherished Sindoor Khela ritual on Vijaya Dashami, 21 October 2026. (Photo: NationPress/Deepak Kumar)
Women pause the revelry to click a selfie during the Sindoor Khela festivities at CR Park, New Delhi, on Vijaya Dashami, 21 October 2026, blending age old Bengali tradition with a modern moment. (Photo: NationPress/Deepak Kumar)
Women perform the traditional Dhunuchi Aarti before an idol of Goddess Durga during Sindoor Khela at Chittaranjan Park, New Delhi, on 21 October 2026, the auspicious occasion of Vijaya Dashami. (Photo: NationPress/Deepak Kumar)
A devotee performs the Dhunuchi Aarti — a ritual using an earthen incense burner — before the Goddess Durga idol at CR Park, New Delhi, on Vijaya Dashami, 21 October 2026, a highlight of the Sindoor Khela ceremony. (Photo: NationPress/Deepak Kumar)
The heart of Sindoor Khela: women at Chittaranjan Park, New Delhi, exchange vermillion (sindoor) with one another on 21 October 2026, bidding farewell to Goddess Durga on the final day of the festival. (Photo: NationPress/Deepak Kumar)
Devotees raise Dhunuchi earthen lamps in unison before the Goddess Durga idol at CR Park, New Delhi, during the Sindoor Khela on Vijaya Dashami, 21 October 2026, in a scene repeated at Bengali colonies across India. (Photo: NationPress/Deepak Kumar)
Bengali women at Chittaranjan Park (CR Park), New Delhi, perform the Dhunuchi Aarti before the consecrated Goddess Durga idol on Vijaya Dashami, 21 October 2026, as part of the Sindoor Khela farewell rites. (Photo: NationPress/Deepak Kumar)
Faces adorned with sindoor, women at CR Park, New Delhi, celebrate the culmination of Durga Puja 2026 through the joyful Sindoor Khela ritual on Vijaya Dashami, 21 October 2026. (Photo: NationPress/Deepak Kumar)
Women carry out the customary Sindoor Khela rituals at Chittaranjan Park, New Delhi, on Vijaya Dashami, 21 October 2026 — a set of farewell observances marking the immersion of the Goddess Durga idol. (Photo: NationPress/Deepak Kumar)
In a centuries old Bengali custom, women apply vermillion (sindoor) to each other at Chittaranjan Park, New Delhi, on 21 October 2026, symbolising togetherness and the conclusion of Durga Puja. (Photo: NationPress/Deepak Kumar)
The vibrant red of sindoor (vermillion) fills the air at CR Park, New Delhi, as women celebrate Vijaya Dashami 2026 — the tenth and final day of Durga Puja — through the exuberant Sindoor Khela ceremony. (Photo: NationPress/Deepak Kumar)
The Sindoor Khela at CR Park, New Delhi, draws to a joyful close on Vijaya Dashami, 21 October 2026, as women smear sindoor on each other in a heartfelt farewell to Goddess Durga before her immersion. (Photo: NationPress/Deepak Kumar)
Marking the end of the Durga Puja 2026 season, women at Chittaranjan Park (CR Park), New Delhi, conclude the Sindoor Khela on Vijaya Dashami, 21 October 2026, keeping alive one of Bengal's most cherished collective traditions. (Photo: NationPress/Deepak Kumar)