Bengal is home for one of the most vibrant Durga Puja festivities in the country but this year, the numbers have reached all time highs with the total expenditure grossing at Rs 123 crores.

There were over 4000 Durga Pujas all over Kolkata this year which includes the community and residential pujas, amounting to a total expenditure of Rs 123 crore.

Officials at Forum for Durgotsav formed by 200 leading puja organizers in the city amongst the 3000 community pujas said that just the top 77 communities had spent Rs 20 Crores.  And the rest of the communities had spent Rs 103 crores.

Four of the 77 spent Rs 70 lakh each, 10 other big events spent Rs 40 lakh each, 20 pujas spent around Rs 30 lakh and 43 pujas that spent Rs 15 lakh.

Medium-budget pujas dominated the lot with over 1000 communities spending over Rs 7 Lakhs each. There were 1,000 housing and bari pujas each spending Rs 1.5 lakh on the five days of rituals and fiesting. The tear drops in the ocean being the 1,500 small budget pujas with an average budget of Rs 1.25 lakh made up the final sum.

(AW- Anil)