The annual Durga Puja religious festival is the largest in India, drawing up to 250 million people in October for week-long events across the country to celebrate the mother goddess Durga’s victory over evil.

For Indians who were unable to attend the UNESCO-listed Durga Puja festivities in person, glasses-free virtual reality was made available from a smartphone or computer via the 3D social network known as Spatial, courtesy of Indian startups XP&Dland and Metaform.

“We are looking to bring mass cultural events to Web3, and what better way to start than Durga Puja, as it is the world’s largest recurring human gathering,” said Sukrit Singh, co-founder of both companies. Forkast In an interview.

He said a user can create an avatar and then enter a…