About 3,000 dhakis, Bengal's traditional festival drummers, beat their drums together at Kolkata's Eden Gardens on Saturday and set a Guinness World Record, ABP Ananda and News18 reported. The show marked Mahalaya, the day that starts the countdown to Durga Puja.

The drumming came with conch shells blown by 1,000 women, who also joined in the traditional ululation, ABP Ananda reported. The Guinness certificate was handed to the state's chief minister on stage. The governor and other officials were also there. Thousands of people packed the stadium.

The evening also featured a show with 3,000 drones that lit up the sky with images of the goddess Durga's arrival. News18 called the drone display "an ambitious attempt" at a second world record. Dancers from 23 districts of West Bengal each performed a local folk style, including chhau and baul, ABP Ananda reported. Videos of the drummers rehearsing had spread on social media before the event, News18 reported.

The dhak is a huge, barrel-shaped drum, and its beat is seen as the heartbeat of Durga Puja. Many dhakis are low-paid farm workers who travel to cities like Kolkata each fall to play for the festival and earn extra money, News18 reported. Their rhythms also drive the dhunuchi dance, in which worshippers dance with smoking clay incense burners in front of the goddess.

Mahalaya ends a 16-day period of honoring ancestors. It opens Devi Paksha, the time of the goddess. Believers say it is the day Durga begins her journey to her family home on Earth. Durga Puja itself starts about six days later. UNESCO added Durga Puja to its list of the world's intangible cultural heritage in 2021.

Eden Gardens, founded in 1864, is the oldest major cricket stadium in India and one of the biggest in the world.

What we know: Around 3,000 dhakis played together at Eden Gardens on Oct. 10, and both outlets report the performance set a Guinness World Record.
What we don't: The exact record title and certified count, and whether the 3,000-drone show was also certified.