Bhubaneswar, Oct. 19 -- Durga Puja is entering its final phase, with devotees gathering at pandals for prayers, rituals and celebrations before bidding farewell to Goddess Durga. While most clay idols are immersed in rivers and other water bodies during visarjan, a centuries-old tradition in Varanasi tells a different story.

At Purana Durga Bari, the Mukhopadhyay family continues to worship the same idol that, according to family lore, was never immersed because Maa Durga had chosen to remain in Kashi.

Durga Puja brings together devotion, elaborate rituals and community celebrations. In Bengal and among Bengali communities across India, the festivities involve decorating pandals, invoking Goddess Durga, performing daily aarti, offering ...