Durga puja is the biggest festival of Calcutta, because it is here that the majority of Bengali's live. It is celebrated to worship mother Durga, the Goddess of power (Shakti). Throughout Calcutta you will find huge pandals where the goddess is kept for all eyes to see and worship. People dressed at their best will celebrate the days of puja will great pomp and gaiety. They go visiting pandals throughout the city, eating out delicious Bengali stuff, enjoying devotional music and socializing with loved ones. It is celebrated for five continuous day, and on the last day the idol of Durga Ma is immersed in the river or sea which marks the end of the Durga puja festival.
I myself have been visiting these pandals with my close ones as its really beautiful especially when viewed at night. The colorful lighted streets are a delight to watch. They sometimes build structures out of different materials, sometimes it is bamboo, mud, biscuits, bangles, clay pots, matchsticks, sea shells, colorful glass and many more interesting materials. When the movie titanic had been released, they even built the titanic ship! It was a marvelous structure and it should have won, because, sometimes contests are out for the best built pandal.
The the city is filled with festivity fever even before the main day, from months before. Shopping goes on like anything, building of pandals, collecting Chanda(money), cleaning out houses and so much more activity. I am sure tourists coming to Calcutta during the Puja festival will surely enjoy, its really fun to be in Calcutta during this time.
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