# Mahalaya: the day Durga Puja begins

> Mahalaya is the new-moon day that ends Pitri Paksha, the fortnight dedicated to ancestors, and begins Devi Paksha, the fortnight of the goddess. Bengalis mark it by offering tarpan (water offerings) to their ancestors at the Ganga ghats and by listening before dawn to the radio programme Mahishasuramardini. In 2026 Mahalaya falls on Saturday 10 October, a week before Shashthi.

Source: https://pujoparikramaguide.in/durga-puja/rituals/mahalaya/ (updated 2026-10-06)

**Mahalaya** is the day the Durga Puja season truly begins in Bengal. It is the *amavasya* (new moon) that ends **Pitri Paksha**, the dark fortnight devoted to ancestors, and opens **Devi Paksha**, the bright fortnight of the goddess. In 2026 Mahalaya falls on **Saturday 10 October**, a week before Shashthi on 17 October.

The day is both solemn and joyful: a time to remember the dead, and the moment the waiting for the goddess turns into celebration.

## Tarpan for the ancestors

Hindu tradition holds that during Pitri Paksha the ancestors (*pitri*) are close to the world of the living, and that offerings made then reach them. Mahalaya is the last and most important day of that fortnight.

The central rite is **tarpan**, an offering of water. Men in particular, though not only men, stand waist-deep in the river before or around sunrise and pour water from cupped hands, often with sesame seeds (*til*), kusha grass and flowers, while reciting the names of their father's and mother's lines. A priest usually guides the words. Some also remember friends and anyone who has no one left to remember them.

In Kolkata the ghats along the Hooghly, the stretch of the Ganga that runs past the city, are crowded from early morning: Bagbazar, Ahiritola, Babughat and many others. If you go to watch, dress modestly, keep out of the way of people performing the rite and ask before taking photographs.

Practice varies: some families perform tarpan at home, some on other days of Pitri Paksha, and some do a fuller *shraddha* ceremony.

## Mahishasuramardini on the radio

For generations of Bengalis, Mahalaya begins in the dark, in front of a radio. **Mahishasuramardini** ("slayer of Mahishasura") is an audio programme of Sanskrit recitation, Bengali narration and songs that retells the goddess's battle with the buffalo demon. It is broadcast by All India Radio in the pre-dawn hours, and the narration of Birendra Krishna Bhadra, with music composed by Pankaj Kumar Mullick, has become inseparable from the day. Read its full story on our [Mahishasuramardini page](/durga-puja/mahishasuramardini-radio/).

Today people also listen on phones and watch television adaptations, but many families still switch on the radio first.

## Chokkhu daan: painting the eyes

In the idol workshops of [Kumartuli](/durga-puja/kumartuli-idol-making/), the potters' quarter of North Kolkata, Mahalaya is traditionally associated with **chokkhu daan** (the gift of eyes): the artisan paints the goddess's eyes, the last and most delicate touch, after which the image is considered ready to receive the goddess. In practice, with hundreds of idols to finish, eyes are painted over several days around Mahalaya, and in some households the rite is done on a day set by the panjika.

## Devi Paksha and the countdown

From Mahalaya, the bright fortnight of the goddess runs through the puja days to Kojagari Lakshmi Puja. The week between Mahalaya and Shashthi is the busiest of the year in Kolkata: pandals are finished, idols travel from Kumartuli to their neighbourhoods, and many pujas hold their inaugurations. For the full sequence of rites that follow, see [Durga Puja rituals day by day](/durga-puja/rituals/), and for the next step, [Shashthi and the bodhon](/durga-puja/rituals/shashthi/).

Outside Bengal, the same new moon is followed by the start of [Navratri](/navratri/) with [ghatasthapana](/navratri/ghatasthapana/) in many regions.

## How families spend the day

Mahalaya is not a day of grand public ritual in most homes. A typical Bengali household might wake before dawn for the radio programme, send the men (and increasingly the women) of the family to the ghat or perform tarpan at home, and then spend the rest of the day quietly. Some families keep a vegetarian diet on Mahalaya out of respect for the ancestors; others cook a special meal. Many people buy their first puja clothes, or finish their shopping, in the days around it.

The word *Mahalaya* is often explained as "great abode" or "great dwelling", referring to the goddess's coming, or to the ancestors' presence; interpretations differ. In everyday Bengali the word simply means the start of the pujo season, and "Mahalaya hoye gechhe" (Mahalaya has happened) is shorthand for "the festival is almost here".

## Planning for Mahalaya 2026

- Tarpan starts early; reach the ghats around sunrise if you want to watch.
- Kumartuli is crowded in the days before and after Mahalaya; go early in the day and respect the artisans' workspace.
- Check the [Kolkata guide](/guide/) and [dates page](/guide/dates/) for crowd forecasts across the puja week.

## Frequently asked questions

**When is Mahalaya in 2026?**
Mahalaya is on Saturday 10 October 2026. Shashthi, the first day of the main puja, follows a week later on Saturday 17 October.

**Why is Mahalaya important?**
It closes Pitri Paksha, when Hindus remember their ancestors, and opens Devi Paksha, when the goddess is believed to begin her journey to earth. For Bengalis it marks the true start of the Durga Puja season.

**What is tarpan on Mahalaya?**
Tarpan is an offering of water, often mixed with sesame seeds, made by standing in a river and reciting the names of one's ancestors. On Mahalaya morning the ghats along the Hooghly in Kolkata are crowded with people performing it, usually with a priest's help.

**What is played on the radio on Mahalaya morning?**
Mahishasuramardini, an audio programme of hymns, songs and Sanskrit recitation telling the story of the goddess, broadcast by All India Radio before dawn and narrated in the voice of Birendra Krishna Bhadra.

**Is Durga Puja held on Mahalaya?**
Not the main puja. Mahalaya is the invocation that opens Devi Paksha; the main worship in Bengal runs from Shashthi to Dashami. Many pandals do, however, hold inaugurations around this time.