Which festival celebrates the triumph of Goddess Durga over the demon king Mahishasura?

Durga Puja, and the nine-night festival of Navratri, celebrate the victory of Goddess Durga over the buffalo demon Mahishasura, which represents the triumph of good over evil. The festival is held in the month of Ashvin (September-October) and ends on Vijayadashami (Dussehra).

According to the Devi Mahatmya, a sacred text that is part of the Markandeya Purana, Mahishasura, a powerful demon who could change his form between a buffalo and a man, had received a boon that no man or god could kill him. He defeated the gods and took over heaven. The gods combined their powers to create Goddess Durga, a warrior goddess with ten arms, each holding a weapon given by a god, riding a lion. She fought Mahishasura for nine days and nights and killed him on the tenth day. She is therefore called Mahishasuramardini, "the slayer of Mahishasura".

Durga Puja is the biggest festival of West Bengal, and is also celebrated with great enthusiasm in Assam, Odisha, Tripura, Bihar and Jharkhand. It is celebrated for five days, from Shashthi to Dashami. Beautiful clay idols of Durga, along with Lakshmi, Saraswati, Ganesha and Kartikeya, are installed in large, artistic pandals. People visit the pandals, wear new clothes, take part in prayers, cultural programmes and feasts. On Dashami, married women smear vermilion on each other in a ritual called "sindoor khela", and the idols are immersed in rivers. Durga Puja in Kolkata was inscribed on UNESCO's list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2021.

In other parts of India, Navratri is celebrated with fasting and the worship of the nine forms of Durga (Navadurga). In Gujarat, it is celebrated with the Garba and Dandiya Raas dances.

Why not the other options?

• ✗Diwali celebrates Rama's return to Ayodhya and the worship of Lakshmi.
• ✗Holi celebrates the legend of Prahlad and Holika.
• ✗Janmashtami celebrates the birth of Lord Krishna.