Divided by states, united by Durga Puja: A sum-up of Mahanavami festivities around India

A quick look at the diverse and rich Mahanavami -Durga Puja celebrations from different parts of the country.

A vendor paints pumpkins to resemble demons at a wholesale market during the Durga Puja festival in Chennai. Devotees believe that smashing pumpkins painted with demon faces drives away evil spirits. (Photo | AFP)

Updated on:

29 Sep 2017, 8:04 am

2 min read

Women offering prayers to Goddess Durga at the opening ceremony of the Durga Puja festival in Guwahati. (Photo | AFP)

Indian Nepali Hindus during the 'Fulpati' procession marking the seventh day of the Dasain festival in Siliguri in West Bengal. The tradition is yet another version of the nine-day long splendid celebrations. (Photo | AFP)

Devotees move a clay statue of Goddess Durga by boat to a place of worship across the river Ganges ahead of the Durga Puja festival in Kolkata. (Photo | AFP)

People walk inside 'pandal', a temporary worship place, for the Durga Puja festival in Kolkata. (Photo | AFP)

An artist works on a statue of Durga ahead of the forthcoming Dushhera-Vijaya Dashami festival at a workshop in Hyderabad. The annual Hindu festival that symbolizes the triumph of good over evil, culminates in the immersion of such idols in water bodies. (Photo | AFP)

Six-year-old Anushka Chatterjee is dressed as Goddess Durga at a 'pandal' for the celebrations of the Puja in Kolkata. The tradition of 'Kumari Puja' was started by Swami Vivekananda in 1901 to underline the importance of women. The girl who is worshipped symbolises the power that regulates creation, stability and destruction on Earth. (Photo | AFP)

Works progress at a workshop in Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh, where artisans are busy making statues of Durga that are to be immersed in water later. (Photo | AFP)