Visarjan of Durga in Bengal; sindoor khela and emotional farewells

Bengal Vijayadashami, Bijoya Dashami, is the final day of Durga Puja in Bengal and the emotional farewell of the Goddess. Bengal imagines Durga as Uma, the married daughter who comes home to her parents with her children Lakshmi, Saraswati, Ganesha and Kartikeya for four days each autumn; on Dashami she must return to Shiva in Kailash. The morning's Dashami puja includes dadhikarma — curd mixed with flattened rice offered to the Goddess — and the Aparajita puja; the priest then performs the darpan visarjan, releasing the Goddess from the image by her reflection in a mirror placed in water. Married women offer Debi Baran, touching her feet, offering sweets and paan to her lips and wiping her face with sindoor, and then play Sindoor Khela, smearing vermilion on each other with joy and tears. The idols are carried to the river with the dhak and dhunuchi dances, and immersed to cries of Aasche bochor abar hobe — it will happen again next year. Afterwards the family gathers for Bijoya: elders are touched on the feet, friends embrace (kolakuli), and narkel naru, nimki and sweets are shared for days.

No fasting; Bijoya sweets and community meals are central to the day.