 Elaborate rituals are performed by priests amid sound of drums ("dhaak"), conch shell ("shaankh") and bells, and many devotees join in the prayers.Although the root of Durga Puja is essentially religious, the festival has slowly changed into more of a social carnival than a religious festival, where people from other religious or ethnic backgrounds freely participate in the festivity.It has become Kolkata's biggest public spectacle, glamorous art event and consumerist carnival.