Durga idols bid adieu in Ichamati and Jalongi rivers on Vijaya Dashami

Country boats carry idols of goddess Durga and her children to the middle of the Ichamati river near Taki in North 24-Parganas district. The river has Satkhira district of Bangladesh and North 24-Parganas district of West Bengal on its either sides

More idols of goddess Durga and her children are propped on adjacent country boats at Taki. Each pair of boats carry each idol to the middle of the river before immersing it. The unique spectacle is extremely popular among tourists on both the Indian and Bangladesh sides. But this year, a drastic drop was witnessed in the number of Durga idols being brought to the river from the Bangladesh side. The Indian side, though, maintained good footfall of tourists and hotels, lodges and resorts on the riverbank reporting massive bookings for accommodation

Immersion in the Mathabhanga, which is further upstream of the Ichamati river, at Bongaon was different. As seen on the ghats of the Hooghly in Kolkata, puja materials had to dumped at designated spots, while a mechanical crane was used to lift idols of goddesses immersed in the river to save it from pollution

The goddess bids adieu at Taki on Vijaya Dashami on Tuesday. The wait of devotees for her return will be shorter because Durga Puja 2024 starts on October 9

Immersion of Durga idol in Jalongi river on Tuesday. It is a tributary of the Hooghly river that flows through the districts of Murshidabad and Nadia

It’s groupie time for these devotees immersing the family goddess on the banks of the Jalongi river in Murshidabad