Now/Oct 19, 2026/2 min
Detroit's Durga Temple marks Maha Ashtami with Sandhi Puja, 108 lamps
On Oct. 18 the E. McNichols Rd temple held pushpanjali, a Sandhi Puja in which devotees lit 108 lamps, and an evening of Bengali folk performance.
On Sunday, Oct 18, 2026, the Durga Temple at 4215 E McNichols Rd, Detroit, marked Maha Ashtami during its Oct 16 to 20 Durga Puja.
After the Ashtami puja, devotees offered pushpanjali at midday. The cultural program opened with the Haran Sen Show, now in its fifth year, and moved through song, dance, a group dhamail and dandiya. The report calls the Sandhi Puja one of the festival's most sacred moments: devotees lit 108 lamps at the juncture of Ashtami and Navami.
Why it belongs here
A named Detroit temple keeping the Shakta calendar and Bengali folk forms alive in the city is squarely this desk's lane. Sandhi Puja marks a threshold in time, and the lamps make it visible.
Report (Bengali): Suprobhat Michigan. Temple: durgatemple.net.
Cover: Michigan Durga Temple, Detroit, Shibamouli Lahiri, CC BY-SA 4.0.
