Durga Puja continues in Khadimpur, North Dinajpur, even after Dashami

Even though Durga Puja is gone, there is still a small area of North Dinajpur where people are celebrating.

A Durga Puja at Khadimpur, a hamlet about 13 miles from Raiganj town, begins on Dashami, which is usually the final day.

This Puja dates back around 500 years. The deity Balaichandi Devi is revered here. Dashami is the starting point of the four-day Puja. As per Nirmal Barman, a committee member, "We have arranged the puja this year as well, which attracts hundreds of people from throughout the district and the neighboring state of Bihar."

Khadimpur resident Barman noted that this particular Durga idol differs somewhat from the conventional one.

"The goddess and the demon Mahishasur are not to be found together. In addition, this Durga idol has four hands rather than ten. But she is with her kids, exactly as in the conventional way," he said.

In Khadimpur village, a fair is also organized on the occasion of the Puja.

Instead of traveling to Raiganj or other areas before for pandal hopping, the majority of the people here excitedly await this Puja. The community collaborates to make this Puja a success because of its distinctive customs. A elderly citizen named Ramen Barman said, "The fair is an added attraction."

Historians have reported that following Dashami, Durga is worshipped in several forms in certain districts of north Bengal, such as Khadimpur.

For example, in certain sections of Jalpaiguri, the goddess is revered as Bhandani.

"A lot of people who live in the area, particularly the Rajbanshi community, think that the goddess spent a few days here before going back to her husband's home in Kailash. Because of this, it is customary to have a Puja with an idol from Vijaya Dashami that differs somewhat from the conventional idol, according to Soumen Nag, a Siliguri-based social researcher.