The eastern states of India including West Bengal, celebrate the sixth to the tenth day of Devi Paksha as Durga Puja. It all starts with Mahalaya with the invocation of Goddess Durga.
In the state of Gujarat, people celebrate the nine days of Navratri by donning colourful chaniya choli and kediya kurti and performing garba around a lamp followed by dandiya played with sticks.
Navratri in Karnataka is celebrated as Mysore Dasara since the 1600s. On Vijaya Dashami, Mysore Palace is decorated with lights and a grand procession of elephants is organised on the streets of Mysuru.
Navratri in Tamil Nadu is celebrated by setting up a display of heirloom Kolu or Golu dolls. Prayers are offered to three goddesses for three days each--Goddess Lakshmi followed by Goddess Durga and then Goddess Saraswati.
Rajasthan along with other northern states celebrate Dussehra with Ram Lila, a re-enactment of Ramyana, which comes to a conclusion with the burning of a huge effigy of Ravana filled with crackers on Vijaya Dashami.
In Punjab, nine holy nights of kirtan is followed by kanjak on Ashtami and Navami, ie offering pre-pubescent girls food, money and gifts, as an offering to Goddess Durga during Navratri.
Devotees here observe Bathukamma Panduga during Navratri, where women prepare flower stacks through a period of nine days and immerse them in water on the tenth day.
On the last three days of Navratri, people in Kerala place their books, musical instruments, and other belongings in front of Goddess Saraswati seeking blessings in the form of wisdom and knowledge. This is known as Ayudha Puja.