Rani Mukerji performs Sindoor Khela, dances at Durga Puja pandal

MUMBAI: Actor Rani Mukerji bid farewell to goddess Durga with the ritual ‘Sindoor Khela’ on the occasion of Vijayadashami at the North Bombay Sarbojanin’s Durga Puja pandal in Mumbai.

For the occasion, Rani donned a golden-pink silk saree which she teamed with gold jewellery and mangalsutra.

She was also seen performing traditional dance at the pandal.

This ritual takes place on the final day of Durga Puja, a major festival in India, particularly in West Bengal.

Vijay Dashmi, the last day of Durga Puja, saw married Bengali Hindu women apply sindoor on the forehead and feet of the goddess and offer sweets to her, followed by applying sindoor to each other’s faces.

Sindoor Khela is known as the ‘vermillion game’, and is celebrated by Bengali Hindu women. The ritual takes place before the idols are submerged.

Sindoor Khela is a customary element of the Durga Puja celebrations in Bengali culture. It’s believed to symbolize the power of womanhood in protecting her husband and children from all evil. Through the ritual, the Hindu women pray for long and happy married lives of each other.

The tradition is celebrated across Kolkata and the entire state. Women first perform ‘Arati’ and then apply sindoor to the forehead and feet of the Goddess and then apply the same sindoor to each other faces.

The North Bombay Sarbojanin’s Durga Puja pandal witnessed a slew of celebrities including Sonam Kapoor, Anil Kapoor, Katrina Kaif, and Kiara Advani among others this year during the festivities.