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New Delhi: Durga Puja 2025, the grand celebration of the Goddess Durga’s triumph over evil, brings immense joy among devotees in Assam, West Bengal, Odisha, Bihar and Tripura. It is beyond religious celebration when people buy new ethnic wear, organise cultural extravaganza, erect gorgeous pandals with a variety of themes, bringing together people of all ages and backgrounds. The Durga Puja celebration is essentially a four-day festival signifying the time Maa Durga descends from Kailash Parvat, her husband’s abode, and comes to her parents’ home after defeating Demon King Mahishasura.
Significant to this festivity is the offering of sacred food or bhog to the Goddess. These bhog offerings, prepared with love and devotion, hold immense spiritual importance. Here we will explore the 21 bhog items offered during Durga Puja, which are vegetarian. Other than offering sacred foods, there’s also the tradition of offering fruits, paan or betal leaf, and more during this auspicious festival. The bhog items may slightly differ from state to state.
Here is the list of delightful 21 Bhog dishes, particularly from West Bengal, offered during the Durga Puja to the Goddess to seek blessings and prosperity.
1. Khichdi
A delectable yet simple dish, which is prepared using rice and lentils with ghee and aromatic spices. Khichdi is the heart and soul of the Durga Puja Bhog.
2. Vegetable-mustard paste dish
A combination of seasonal vegetables cooked in a mustard-based gravy, offering a tantalising blend of flavours.
3. Lentil cakes
A delicious curry is made from soft lentil cakes, a delicacy equally popular in Assam and Bengal.
4. Chholar dal
This dish, including Bengal gram lentils, is cooked to perfection and is garnished with grated coconut, adding sweetness.
5. Luchi or poori
Luchi or poori, a deep-fried, airy, and soft wheat bread, along with aaloo dum or vegetable dish, is a common Bhog item in both Assam and West Bengal.
6. Begun bhaja
Everyone loves the crispy fried eggplant slices seasoned with spices.
7. Aloo posto
An ethnic Bengali dish featuring potatoes cooked with poppy seeds for a nutty or crunchy twist.
8. Labra
A combination of multiple vegetables to make a dish. It is comfort food for both Assamese and Bengalis.
9. Potoler dolna
Pointed gourd stuffed with a spicy masala mixture and slow-cooked in oil to perfection.
10. Kolar Bora
Kolar bora or banana fritters hold a special place in Durga Puja Bhog as bananas symbolise fertility, and offering them to Maa Durga is believed to bring prosperity and blessings for the family.
11. Chanar dalna
A mouth-watering dish made from cottage cheese cubes by immersing these in a rich and flavourful gravy.
12. Payesh or payokh
No one can hate this sweet treat, a creamy and fragrant rice pudding, a common Bhog item.
13. Narkel nadu or narikolor ladu
A sweet coconut ball or nariyal ka laddoo made with sugarcane jaggery that melts in your mouth.
14. Sandesh
A quintessential Bengali dessert made from fresh paneer. It is flavoured with cardamom.
15. Rasgulla
Soft and spongy cheese balls soaked in sugar syrup, a dessert loved across India.
16. Mishti doi
Sweetened yoghurt, often served with a dollop of cream, is a creamy indulgence.
17. Makha sandesh
It’s a delightful and crumbly variation of sandesh with a generous dose of ghee.
18. Kheer kodom
Sweet dumplings soaked in a luscious syrup. This heavenly dessert is the favourite of all.
19. Malpua
Deep-fried pancakes, made from wheat or refined flour, are soaked in sugar syrup. Its soft inner part and crunchy outer side make it a tempting snack.
20. Kala jamun
It’s a darker and richer version of the classic gulab jamun savoured by all.
21. Nimki
These diamond-shaped snacks serve as a delightful munch and a contrast to the sweet dishes.
Fruits and paan as sacred offerings
Other than the 21 bhog items, devotees offer a variety of fruits, and paan or betel leaves adorned with cloves, cardamom, and a dash of camphor as a gesture of hospitality and reverence to the Goddess. Charnamrit and Panchamrit are the other important components offered during Durga Puja.
Durga Puja 2025 is about true devotion. Beyond that, it’s also about bringing people together and collectively celebrating the rich culture and culinary heritage to nourish the body as well as the soul. Happy Durga Puja!
