Durga Puja, also referred to as Durgotsav or Sharadotsav, is an annual Hindu festival in India celebrating the victory of the goddess Durga over the demon Mahishasura. It is a ten-day festival with celebrations commencing on the sixth day (Shashthi), and continuing through Maha Saptami, Maha Ashtami, Maha Nabami and Vijayadashami. The final day is celebrated throughout India as Dusshehra.
Durga Puja is celebrated mainly in eastern and north-eastern states: Bihar (Mithila region), Jharkhand, Odisha, Assam, Manipur, Tripura, Meghalaya and West Bengal, where it is a five-day annual holiday. It is also celebrated in Nepal. In West Bengal and Tripura, which has a majority of Bengali Hindus, it is the biggest festival of the year and the most significant socio-cultural event in Bengali Hindu society. It is a major festival in neighboring Bangladesh too.
