Kolkata:
Durga Puja, the biggest annual festival of the Hindus ended on Monday with the immersion of idols on Dasami amidst chants of 'aasche bochchor abar hobe' (it will happen again next year).
With the onset of dawn, an air of melancholy descended with people knowing very well that Goddess Durga would now leave for her abode in Kailash after her visit to earth ending the four days of festivity.
Women smeared vermilion on each other's faces in a ritual called 'sindoor khela' and offered sweets and prayers to Goddess Durga and her siblings as the young swayed merrily to the rhythmic beats of 'dhaks'.
People of all ages exchanged greetings with each other on the occasion of 'Bijoya'.
In the evening community and household puja idols made their way to the banks of the river Hooghly accompanied by revellers.
Many foreigners were seen happily clicking away pictures of the immersion to take the memories back home.
The police made adequate security arrangements at various places.
Besides police officials, personnel from state civil defence, civic body officials, Kolkata Port Trust and River Traffic Police assisted in the immersion process while speed boats of India Navy kept watch.
Till evening, 252 immersion had taken place out of 1621 in the metropolis.
