Durga Puja 2025: Trump Depicted as Demon in India’s Iconic Goddess Festival

A striking Durga Puja installation in India’s West Bengal has ignited global attention after portraying former US President Donald Trump as a demon being vanquished by the Hindu goddess Durga.

The festival, celebrated annually to mark the triumph of good over evil, took an unexpected political twist this year in the city of Murshidabad, where the demon traditionally known as Mahishasura was replaced with a muscular figure bearing Trump’s distinctive blond hair and stern expression.

Organizers say the artwork symbolizes discontent with Trump’s policies and their perceived impact on India’s global standing.

“India and America had good relations previously, but ever since Trump has come, he’s trying to suppress India, to push us over, to squash us,” said Sanjay Basak, a member of the festival’s organizing committee. “That’s why we have depicted Trump as this demon, vanquished by the powerful mother Durga.”

Durga Puja—known locally as Durga Pujo—is one of India’s grandest cultural events, transforming cities into vast open-air art galleries with towering sculptures and elaborate pavilions called pandals. Artists often reinterpret the ancient myth of Durga’s victory to reflect modern fears, politics, and social realities.

Over the years, Durga Puja installations have mirrored current events: Osama Bin Laden was depicted as the demon after the 9/11 attacks, and in 2020, Chinese leader Xi Jinping took the villain’s role following deadly India-China border clashes.

“This year’s depiction of Trump follows that same creative tradition—using mythology to express people’s anxieties and frustrations through art,” explained Sushovan Sircar, a cultural consultant from Kolkata.

The Trump-themed pandal has sparked debate online, with some praising its bold political statement and others questioning the use of religious symbolism for satire.

Still, for many Bengalis, Durga Puja remains a celebration of resistance against oppression—ancient or modern.