Amidst the shouting of ‘aschey bochor aabaar hobe…’ (next year will again celebrate), the idols of Goddess Durga is immersed in the river. With the pain in eyes, yet another that year of waiting starts.

Indeed, a sad day for all Bengalies across the globe as the four day of festive celebrations are over living the faithfulls in tears as Goddess Durga or Maa Durga embarks on her voyage to the Kailash.

In Bengal, there are a few well known families like Sovabazar Rajbari, Hathkhola Dutta Bari, Laha Bari, Sabarna Roy Choudhury, Mallick Bari, Chatu Babu and Latu Babu, Bhawanipur De Bari, Raja Nabakrishna Deb, Badan Chandra Roy, Haldarbari to name a few. Apart from these are are few ‘rajbari’ (palace) where still Durga Puja is organised like Jhargram Rajbari, Krishnanagar Rajbari, Nimta Rajbari, Burdwan Rajbari among others.

These families have their own tradition in bidding adieu to Maa Durga. Some fire canon as the immersion is done while another fly Neelkantha bird. As per the ritual, it is believed that in those days, the bird would fly to Kailash and inform Lord Shiva that immersion has taken place and Goddess Durga with children were on their way safe and sound. As time passed by, the Neelkantha bird became extinct and as a symbolic ritual, now the family fly a replica of the bird.