Kolkata, Oct 14 (IANS): Braving the downpour, people thronged Durga puja pandals to offer their tributes to the goddess on the last day of the five-day festivity.

Teary eyed devotees bade an emotional farewell as idols of goddess Durga and her four children -- Lakshmi, Saraswati, Ganesha and Kartik -- were immersed in ponds, lakes and rivers of West Bengal on Vijaya Dashami Monday.

Married women decked in the ritualistic red-and-white sarees marked the event with the customary "Sindoor Khela" or smearing each other and the idols with red vermillion to prepare the goddess and her clan for their long journey home, as dhaaks (traditional drums) played on in the background.

There was a festive look on the banks of the Ganges and other water bodies, with spirited chants of "Bolo Durga Mai Ki Jai" adding to the fervour.

Children, the young and the elderly joined hands to slowly put the idols into the water as they wished for her return next year.

People offered sweets to the goddess and prayed for the well-being of their families.