Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling and her publishers Bloomsbury are seeking two million rupees (approximately £25,000) from the organisers of the Durga Puja festival that takes place in the Indian city of Kolkata. The four-day festival is eastern India’s most celebrated religious carnival.

Hogwarts Castle is the centrepiece of Rowling’s magical fictional world. It is the location of the ancient school of witchcraft where teenage wizard Harry Potter learns his conjuring skills. The Indian marquee, situated in Kolkata’s Salt Lake district, replicates the imaginary castle's appearance outer and includes an imitation marble staircase replete with flaming torches.

Organisers of Durga Puja deny they are violating Rowling’s copyright as the religious celebration is not a money-making event. They also have no funds to pay the 2 million rupee fine.

In contrast, the mammoth sums of money generated by the Harry Potter franchise are simply astounding. Having sold over 300 million Harry Potter books, Rowling herself has a personal fortune of £545 million. According to the Sunday Times Rich List 2007, she is the 13th richest woman in Britain. The seventh and final Potter book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, was released on July 21 this year and promptly became the biggest selling book of all time.

In addition, the movie adaptations of Rowling’s first five Potter novels have grossed a whopping $4.5 billion dollars. The movies’ success has made its main stars, Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson, Britain’s richest teenagers. The Sunday Times Rich List estimates Radcliffe’s wealth at £17 million while the Forbes Celebrity 100 confirms Watson earned $4 million in 2006 alone.