Patna: Vijayadashami, the culmination of Navratri, is being celebrated across Bihar on Thursday with rituals steeped in devotion and tradition, as Bengali communities bid farewell to Goddess Durga with the vibrant ceremony of Sindoor Khela.
At Kalibaris and puja pandals across the state, devotees performed havan and floral offerings before beginning the ritual farewell. The highlight of the day was Sindoor Khela, a distinctly Bengali tradition in which married women first apply vermillion to the Goddess and then to each other, symbolising strength, prosperity and marital bliss.
The atmosphere was filled with chants, the rhythmic beats of the dhak and dhol, and the high-pitched ululation of women – an auspicious sound in Bengali customs. Women dressed in red-bordered saris exchanged blessings, their faces and foreheads marked crimson with sindoor.
Prerna Chakraborty, a devotee at a century-old pandal, said the tradition carries both devotion and emotion. “The idol has been installed here for 104 years. On Vijayadashami, women play Sindoor Khela as part of the farewell to the Goddess. Just as a daughter is sent off from her maternal home, we bid farewell to Durga Mata with love and celebration.”
The ritual is rooted in the belief that Goddess Durga spends nine days of Navratri at her maternal home before returning to her divine abode on Vijayadashami. The farewell, marked by Sindoor Khela, becomes both joyous and poignant – a moment of festivity that also carries the pain of parting.
As vermillion smeared faces lit up with smiles and moist eyes, the community united in the bittersweet ritual, reaffirming a century-old tradition that blends faith, festivity, and fraternity.
