Bijoya Dashami: the farewell to the goddess

Bijoya Dashami is the last day of Durga Puja, the day the goddess leaves. Its rites move from worship to farewell: the Dashami puja, darpan bisarjan (immersion in a mirror), boron and sindoor khela by married women, the bisarjan (immersion) processions to the river, and finally Bijoya greetings among family and friends. In 2026 Bijoya Dashami falls on Wednesday 21 October.

In Bengali tradition, Durga is also Uma, a daughter who visits her parents' home every autumn with her children and must return to her husband Shiva on Mount Kailash. That is why Dashami feels like seeing off a daughter: joyful, tender and sad at once.

Dashami puja and darpan bisarjan

The morning begins with a short Dashami puja. Many traditions also worship Aparajita, the "unconquered" goddess, on this day. Then comes the moment that formally ends the worship: darpan bisarjan. The priest holds a mirror (darpan) so that the goddess is reflected in a bowl or vessel of water, and with mantras immerses her reflection. From this point the goddess is understood to have left the clay image, even though it stays in the pandal for some hours or days.

The priest then sprinkles shanti jal (water of peace) on the people gathered, a blessing for wellbeing in the year ahead. The timing of these rites follows the tithi in the panjika and the family's custom.

Boron: the farewell

Before the idol leaves, married women perform boron. With a plate (boron dala) holding a lamp, sindoor (vermilion), betel leaves, sweets, durba grass and other auspicious items, they circle the plate before the goddess, touch sweets and paan to her lips, apply sindoor to her forehead and wipe her face with a betel leaf, as if drying the tears of a daughter leaving home. They do the same for Lakshmi, Saraswati, Ganesha, Kartik and the Kola Bou.

Sindoor khela

After boron, women smear sindoor on each other's foreheads, cheeks and conch-shell bangles, wishing one another a long and happy married life. Traditionally this is done by married women, though some pujas now welcome a wider group of women. It is one of the most joyful, and most photographed, moments of the festival. See our full guide to sindoor khela.

Bisarjan: the immersion

In the afternoon or evening the idols are lifted onto lorries or carried by hand and taken in procession, with dhak, dancing and cries of "Asche bochor abar hobe" ("it will happen again next year"), to the river. At the ghats they are immersed in the Hooghly. In Kolkata immersions are spread over Dashami and the following days according to a schedule set by the authorities, and in recent years the state government has held a carnival on Red Road where selected idols are paraded. For safety, follow police instructions at the ghats and avoid the riverbank at peak times with small children.

Also readSindoor khela

Bijoya greetings

Once the goddess has left, Bengalis exchange Bijoya greetings, saying Shubho Bijoya:

• younger people touch the feet of elders (pranam) and receive blessings;
• people of similar age embrace (kolakuli);
• everyone shares sweets such as naru, sandesh and nimki.

Visits to relatives and neighbours continue for days, sometimes until Kojagari Lakshmi Puja. For messages and wishes see Bijoya Dashami wishes.

After the immersion

When the family or committee returns from the ghat, the empty pandal or thakur dalan has a particular stillness. In many homes a lamp is lit where the goddess stood, and the evening is spent receiving visitors and going on Bijoya rounds. In many families people write the goddess's name, often as "Sri Sri Durga Sahay", on paper on Dashami evening. Such customs vary greatly from home to home.

The festival season does not end entirely: Kojagari Lakshmi Puja follows on the full moon, and Kali Puja, with Diwali, comes about three weeks after Dashami. Many Bengalis say the sadness of Dashami lasts until the first sweets of Bijoya arrive.

Where to see Dashami rites

Bagbazar Sarbojanin is known for a large, lively sindoor khela, and old family pujas such as Sovabazar Rajbari keep traditional farewell rites; see also bonedi bari pujas. Arrive early, as the crowds are heavy.

Elsewhere in India the same day is celebrated as Dussehra or Vijayadashami. For the full Durga Puja sequence, see rituals day by day.