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Preparing for festivities: India gears up for Durga Pooja 2025; themes, pandals & more

Last updated on - Sep 19, 2025, 21:39 IST
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Festival countdown begins

An idol of Goddess Durga installed at a community puja pandal ahead of the Durga Puja festival. This year, Shardiya Navratri, the most celebrated of the four Navratris, will be observed from September 22 to October 2, 2025. (Image credit: PTI)

2/8

Themes of unity

Workers decorate a community puja pandal depicting a theme of ‘communal harmony’. Such themes mirror Navratri’s spirit, where colours like red, green, and white symbolise passion, growth, and peace.

(Image credit: PTI)

3/8

Crafting the Goddess

An artisan working on an idol of Goddess Durga ahead of the festival. Navratri honours the goddess in her nine forms, each day marked by rituals and a symbolic colour, from white for purity to pink for harmony.

(Image credit: PTI)

4/8

Final touches in workshops

An artisan gives finishing touches to an idol of Goddess Durga at a workshop. As Navratri nears, workshops across India come alive, ensuring idols are ready for the nine sacred nights of devotion.

(Image credit: PTI)

5/8

Education as devotion

People work at a pandal based on the theme of education. Across India, the festival inspires creativity, with themes echoing Navratri’s larger messages of renewal, harmony, and learning.

(Image credit: PTI)

6/8

Inner cleansing

A worker prepares the community pandal of ‘Mudiali Club Durga Puja’, themed ‘Atmasuddhi’ or inner cleansing. The festival not only honours the goddess but also encourages reflection, tied to the symbolic meanings of each day’s colour.

(Image credit: PTI)

7/8

Innovation in Tradition

Artisan Nikhil Mistry crafts an idol of Goddess Durga using bricks. From traditional clay to experimental forms, the artistry reflects Navratri’s enduring significance, devotion expressed through colour, craft, and imagination.

(Image credit: PTI)

8/8

​Colours on the streets

A yellow taxi decorated in vibrant hues with the theme of Durga Puja. Colours that symbolise each day of Navratri also inspire art and decoration, turning the city itself into part of the celebration.

(Image credit: ANI)

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