A month-long exhibition showcasing 30 artefacts on ‘Durga – The Divine Power’ will begin at the Indian Museum in Kolkata on Sunday.

A collection of statues, paintings, coins and other artefacts, in the possession of the museum, will be put on display at the exhibition, which will begin on Mahalaya – five days ahead of Durga puja, Museum Director AD Choudhury told PTI on Friday.

“We will project different sides of Goddes Durga – Durga as ‘Stree Shakti’, Durga as daughter, Durga as mother of Lord Ganesh, Durga as warrior goddess – at the exhibition,” he said.

The exhibition will mark the distinction accorded by UNESCO to Durga puja, highlighting the intangible heritage aspect, he said.

A terracotta Mahisashurmardini from Mathura, a stone Mahisashurmardini from Hyderabad, a Kalighat patachitra and Abanindranath Tagore’s ‘Ganesh Janani’ will be featured among the exhibits.

This year makes Durga Puja more special as the UNESCO has inscribed Durga Puja in the UNESCO’s Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity and it is the first Indian festival to do so.

On Thursday, Minister of State for Culture and External Affairs, Smt Meenakashi Lekhi had said at a press conference that 30 artisans and artists, intimately involved in Durga Puja celebrations would be honoured at a special function organised the Ministry of Culture on 24 September at Indian Museum in Kolkata. Those to be honoured will include Shilpis of Durga’s Protima, members from RajBaris, Pandal makers, artists, the Dhakis (drummers), the Pujaris, the jewellery makers of Protimas among others.