In Pics: Kolkata Heralds Durga Puja With a Kilometer-Long Alpona

Take a look at the stunning motifs, hand-painted by an enthusiastic lot in the city of joy.

The City of Joy is gearing up for the biggest festival of the year!

Invoking goddess Durga on earth, West Bengal on Tuesday observed Mahalaya with devotional songs, scriptural recitations, prayers and street art as greetings enlivened a rainy day.

Celebrated a week before the five-day Durga puja begins, Mahalaya essentially heralds the homecoming of the goddess. Here’s a view during the unveiling of a kilometer-long street Alpona (paintings that mark auspicious occasions) at Lake Road in South Kolkata on Tuesday.