Durga puja is a ten-day festival that takes place during the month of Aswin (September-October). Though celebrated all over India, Bangladesh, and other parts of the world with a sizeable Bengali population, the Durga Puja of Kolkata, the capital city of West Bengal, holds a special significance. Almost synonymous with the festival, the city saw the first instance of Durga Puja during the 17th century. At that time, it was celebrated mostly by the aristocracy, landed elites, and merchants in their massive estates. With time, the Durga Puja came to be organised by the public. Presently, it is celebrated in parks, homes as well as estates where generations have continued their family legacy for centuries. 
One of the legends behind the celebration of the festival is the defeat of the demon- Mahishasura (half buffalo and half human) at the hands of Goddess Durga. Durga Puja is also said to be a visit by the Goddess and her four children- Goddesses Lakshmi and Saraswati and Gods Ganesha and Kartikeya, to her father’s home. Preparations for the festivities begin weeks in advance. In Kolkata, Kumartuli is a lane dedicated to the artisans responsible for sculpting the idols. The kumar (potters) migrated to Kolkata from Krishnanagar, a city north of Kolkata during the 18th century. As the number of Durga Puja organised in Kolkata grew in number, the community established itself in North Kolkata, in a locality known as Kumartuli, which means a colony of potters. 
Fairs, cultural performances, food stalls, and competitions are some of the salient features of Durga Puja in Kolkata. These attract a large footfall, including both locals and tourists. One of the highlights during the festival is the alpana or rangoli. Made during the third or fourth day of the festival, huge gatherings of people paint the entire street leading to the pandal (the place where the idol is placed and worshipped), with colourful decorations, called alpana. 
The festival ends with as much enthusiasm as it began. Though the last day- Vijaya Dashami, carries a morose undertone as everyone bids adieu to the goddess and her children, their farewell is conducted with pomp and show. The idols are covered with vermillion, and sweets are placed in their mouths as they are prepared to go back to their home- Mount Kailash. The women put vermillion on each other, as a form of celebration, called sindoor khela (playing with vermillion). As the idols are taken for submersion (visarjan) into the Ganges, or the Hugli as it is known in Kolkata, throngs of people take to the streets dancing and singing. This process of visarjan takes weeks in the city, due to the magnitude of the idols. The visarjan not only signifies the end of weeks of waiting and excitement but also a hope for welcoming the goddess again, stressed by the chanting of “aschhe bochhor abar hobe” (“Next year, it will happen again”).