Sindoor khela, the last dhak and the journey to the river.
Women smear sindoor on each other on Bijoya Dashami. Photo: Diganta Talukdar, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons.
Women first offer sindoor and sweets to the goddess, then smear vermilion on each other's faces and wish each other well.
Women smear sindoor on each other on Bijoya Dashami. Photo: Diganta Talukdar, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons.
Vermilion, red-bordered saris and laughter: sindoor khela is one of the most photographed moments of the festival.
Sindoor khela in black and white. Photo: Abhinaba Basu from Redmond, United States, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons.
Dhakis play the images out of the pandal and all the way to the river.
Dhakis playing the dhak at a Durga Puja. Photo: AjayDas, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons.
The images are carried to the ghats and immersed. Some old family pujas take the goddess out by boat.
Sovabazar Rajbari's Durga is readied on boats at Baghbazar Ghat for immersion in the Hooghly. Photo: Biswarup Ganguly, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons.
Back home, people embrace, touch the feet of elders, share sweets and send Bijoya greetings to everyone they love.
Durga with her family, Lakshmi, Saraswati, Ganesha and Kartik, at Maddox Square, Kolkata. Photo: Biswarup Ganguly, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons.
Bijoya Dashami 2026 is Wednesday 21 October: darpan bisarjan, boron and sindoor khela, immersion processions, shanti jal and Bijoya greetings explained.
Bijoya Dashami → Next story: Three centuries of Durga Puja in Bengal All photo storiesMusic: Rhythm of Dhak a huge membranophone instrument from Bengal and Assam, used in Hindu religious festivals, especially Durga Puja, Sumita Roy Dutta, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons.