Durga Puja festival preparation in India - in pictures

  • An artist gives the final touches to a sculpture depicting the Hindu goddess Durga at a workshop ahead of the upcoming Durga Puja festival, in Chennai on October 4, 2021. AFP
    An artist gives the final touches to a sculpture depicting the Hindu goddess Durga at a workshop ahead of the upcoming Durga Puja festival, in Chennai on October 4, 2021. AFP
  • An artist in Mumbai reviews his work on the idol of Hindu goddess Durga ahead of the festival beginning this week. AFP
    An artist in Mumbai reviews his work on the idol of Hindu goddess Durga ahead of the festival beginning this week. AFP
  • Creative shops are lined up with sculptures of the goddess Durga before Hindu devotees make a beeline for them for the celebratory festival beginning October 7. AFP
    Creative shops are lined up with sculptures of the goddess Durga before Hindu devotees make a beeline for them for the celebratory festival beginning October 7. AFP
  • An artisan works on a lion sculpture. The lion in Hindu mythology is the ride for goddess Durga. AFP
    An artisan works on a lion sculpture. The lion in Hindu mythology is the ride for goddess Durga. AFP
  • An artist adds a decorative nose ring to the idol of the Hindu goddess Durga at a workshop in Mumbai. AFP
    An artist adds a decorative nose ring to the idol of the Hindu goddess Durga at a workshop in Mumbai. AFP
  • An artist works fast as he can to get as many idols of goddess Durga ready with the nine-day long festival starting October 7. AFP
    An artist works fast as he can to get as many idols of goddess Durga ready with the nine-day long festival starting October 7. AFP
  • An artist gives the final touches to a clay sculpture depicting the Hindu goddess Durga at a workshop in Guwahati before the pan-India festival begins on Thursday. AFP
    An artist gives the final touches to a clay sculpture depicting the Hindu goddess Durga at a workshop in Guwahati before the pan-India festival begins on Thursday. AFP
  • A worker sweeps next to the idols of Hindu goddess Durga, which await sales to devotees for the nine-day long Durga Puja festival beginning Thursday, in Hyderabad. AFP
    A worker sweeps next to the idols of Hindu goddess Durga, which await sales to devotees for the nine-day long Durga Puja festival beginning Thursday, in Hyderabad. AFP