How Durga Puja Changes When It Travels Abroad

Durga Puja is a major Hindu festival associated with the worship of Goddess Durga and is particularly important in Bengal. Although its best-known public form is associated with Kolkata and West Bengal, Durga Puja is also celebrated by Bengali communities across India and in countries around the world. UNESCO's description of Durga Puja in Kolkata specifically recognises its presence among the Bengali diaspora.

When Durga Puja travels abroad, its religious foundation remains recognisable, but its venue, schedule, organisation, food, language, cultural activities and community practices often adapt to the country where it is celebrated.

From Pandal to Community Hall

In Kolkata, community Durga Puja commonly takes place in temporary pandals and public spaces, with large-scale installations, artistic decoration, lighting and public gatherings.

Outside India, the festival is often organised in community halls, schools, cultural centres, temples, universities or rented event venues. Research on Durga Puja in Britain has documented this shift from outdoor public spaces to indoor community venues.

The venue can influence the entire format of the celebration. The Durga idol, puja rituals, cultural stage, children's activities, food service and community gatherings may all operate within one building.

The Bengali Calendar Meets the Local Calendar

Traditional Durga Puja follows the Bengali Hindu lunisolar calendar, with important observances including Mahalaya, Shashthi, Saptami, Ashtami, Navami and Dashami.

Outside India, the religious calendar has to coexist with local working hours, school schedules and venue availability. As a result, some diaspora organisations condense public celebrations into a weekend while maintaining the essential religious observances.

Research on British Durga Puja has documented weekend celebrations that condense the traditional five-day festival into a shorter community programme.

This creates an important distinction between the traditional ritual calendar and the public event schedule.

The Idol, Rituals and Visarjan

The Durga idol, or pratima, remains the central focus of the Puja. Overseas communities may commission an idol from India, arrange local production or use an alternative form depending on transportation, venue requirements and local regulations.

Visarjan, the immersion of the idol after Vijayadashami, can also require adaptation. The traditional association of the idol with immersion in a river or other water body may not be practical or legally permitted in every country. Local environmental regulations, available facilities and community arrangements therefore influence how immersion is conducted.

The ritual meaning remains connected with the conclusion of the festival, even when the physical method differs from practices familiar in Bengal.

Food, Bhog and Local Ingredients

Bhog is an important part of many Durga Puja celebrations. Traditional offerings may include khichuri, labra, vegetables, chutney, sweets and payesh.

Outside India, the menu can change according to the availability of Bengali ingredients, local food regulations, catering facilities and dietary requirements. The result may be a combination of familiar Bengali dishes and locally available ingredients.

Food also makes the festival accessible to visitors who may not be familiar with the religious rituals.

Bengali, English and Other Languages

A Durga Puja in Bengal generally operates within a predominantly Bengali-speaking environment. Overseas celebrations can involve several languages.

Bengali may be used for prayers, songs and cultural performances, while English or another local language may be used for announcements, explanations and visitor information.

This is particularly relevant for second- and third-generation Bengali families, whose everyday language may not be Bengali.

Durga Puja can therefore become an important setting for transmitting Bengali language, music, food, stories and family traditions across generations.

Religion and Cultural Programme

Durga Puja abroad is not limited to ritual worship.

Community celebrations may include:

• Pushpanjali and other puja rituals

• Dhak and devotional music

• Rabindra Sangeet

• Bengali songs and dance

• Children's programmes

• Drama and recitation

• Cultural performances

• Bengali food and sweets

• Community gatherings

Academic research on British diaspora Puja describes this combination of religious worship and Bengali cultural activity as a central feature of overseas celebrations.

For many diaspora communities, the festival therefore functions simultaneously as a religious observance and a cultural gathering.

A Festival Organised by the Diaspora

In Bengal, Durga Puja exists within an established cultural environment. Abroad, community members often have to create the infrastructure needed for the festival.

Volunteers and organising committees may coordinate:

• Venue booking

• Idol procurement

• Priests and ritual materials

• Event permissions

• Catering

• Fundraising

• Cultural programmes

• Volunteers

• Community communications

Academic research in Britain describes these community organisations as adapting the festival to local conditions while maintaining connections with Bengal, including obtaining idols, priests and ritual materials from India where required.

Durga Puja as a Diaspora Tradition

For Bengali communities living outside India, Durga Puja can provide a regular meeting point for families and different generations.

It can connect people with Bengali heritage, Hindu religious practice, language, food, music and community life.

The audience can also extend beyond Bengali and Indian communities. Local residents, people from other cultural backgrounds and visitors interested in Indian culture may attend public celebrations.

The festival consequently becomes a point of cultural exchange between the Bengali diaspora and its wider local community.

Digital Durga Puja

Websites, social media and livestreaming have added another dimension to overseas celebrations.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, several UK-based Durga Puja organisations moved rituals into private or restricted settings and livestreamed ceremonies to their communities. Research documented this as an extension of existing digital practices within diaspora religious life.

Today, digital platforms can help communities publish schedules, coordinate volunteers, share photographs and videos, announce events and allow people who cannot attend in person to remain connected.

What Changes and What Remains?

The physical and social setting of Durga Puja can change considerably when the festival moves abroad.

What may change:

• Venue

• Public schedule

• Idol production and transportation

• Immersion arrangements

• Food ingredients

• Language used for communication

• Cultural programme format

• Community organisation

• Use of digital platforms

What remains recognisable:

• Worship of Goddess Durga

• The Durga idol

• Puja rituals

• Pushpanjali

• Bhog

• Bengali cultural traditions

• Community participation

• Vijayadashami and the conclusion of the festival

UNESCO describes Durga Puja as a festival associated with worship, artistic expression, community participation and the idea of "home-coming" or a seasonal return to one's roots.

For the Bengali diaspora, that idea can take on a different geographical meaning. The community may be far from Bengal, but for several days a year, a community hall, temple or cultural centre can become a place where Bengali religious and cultural traditions are practised together.

Durga Puja Across Borders

There is no single international model of Durga Puja.

A celebration in London, Toronto, New York, Sydney, Singapore, Tokyo or another city will reflect its local community, regulations, available facilities and cultural environment.

The festival therefore changes when it crosses a national border, but it does not lose its identity.

Durga Puja abroad is best understood as a diaspora form of a living tradition: its core practices remain recognisable while the way they are organised and experienced adapts to a new country.