Durga is worshipped by her devotees as the mother of the universe for her graciousness and fearsome power.

Amit Kumar, a visitor says “The people who haven’t attended the festival, I would say to them that they must visit here, it is amazing to be here.”

The festival also celebrates Durga as the feminine divine, venerated for her triumph over the mythological demon Mahishasura.

The deity's images are usually portrayed as a slaying goddess riding a lion, with Mahishasura crushed under her foot.

At the end of the festival, the Durga idols are ceremonially lowered into rivers or other bodies of water.

“I feel very good during the festival of Durga Puja. This is the first time I have done fasting for nine days. I am feeling very nice from within. I feel good after visiting many pandals over here, and witnessing the nine forms of the Goddess. This feeling can’t be expressed in words.” says visitor Vaishnavi Bhargav.

Durga Puja festival in West Bengal’s capital city Kolkata has been given UNESCO’s recognition as part of the “Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity."

AP Video by Piyush Nagpal