5 reasons to visit Kolkata for Durga Pooja

Durga Puja in Kolkata is not just observed as a religious festival but is also celebrated with utmost grandiose. The city's spirit uplifts as locals, and residential complexes prepare themselves to welcome Goddess Durga to their vicinity. Right from the way people prepare for the Durga Puja festival in Kolkata to the craftsmen giving it their best to create the most alluring pandals, the city is practically lit with enthused citizens doing what they're good at to bring forth a lovely Durga Puja festival vibe.

Bamboo, coloured cloth and canvas are used to erect fancy pandals where the idol of Maa Durga will reside for ten days till Dussehra. What's fascinating is how the craftsmen actually manage to make these pandals look like palatial halls. In fact, since they delegate themes for every year's Durga Puja pandal, students from the art school also participate and add extra panache to the structures of the pandals. As you walk the streets of Kolkata during the Durga Puja festival, you will be amazed by the vibrant ambience as the city turns into one big gallery. Every pandal is decked up to perfection and is different from its next pandal.

The people of Kolkata certainly ring in Durga Puja with a Joi de Vivre spirit as you can see the way the processions take place or the pandal are constructed to match with the theme of the year. In fact, on Dussehra, when Maa Durga's idol is being taken for immersion, the city truly turns into a sight to behold as the carnival spirit takes over everyone. Visiting Kolkata for Durga Puja is an experience that you should witness at least once in your lifetime.

Kolkata's carnivalesque vibe during Durga Puja also comes with fancy light work. The elaborate illumination designed most aesthetically is quite a sight for sore eyes. Also known as Chandannagorer lighting, the illumination that the electricians from the district town execute during Durga Puja would leave quite an impact on you with its aesthetic beauty. By the use of indigenous technology and methods to bring forth designs through illumination, the electricians do a fantastic job to engage the visitors and keep up the spirit of Durga Puja in the city. Many pandals even have paintings of Maa Durga in light work!

Kolkata's street food is just as famous as the Durga Pujas hosted by the city. Plus, with all the pandal hopping and checking out the city's carnivalesque vibe, experimenting with street food should definitely be added to the list of 5 reasons why you should visit Kolkata for Durga Puja. From Kolkata's fast-moving foods such as rolls and momos to their extremely tasty puchkas, there are dishes curated by purveyors to sell during the festive season. You would actually be amazed by the slew of fast food options that are available during Durga Puja. Their Kathi rolls are to die for! The roll filled with the perfect blend of spices, meat and veggies would take you to nirvana and back! Meanwhile, the momos, which are the traditional Tibetan version, are quite delicious. By the time you're done with them, you might lose count on how much you consume! The chaat corner is clearly the biggest winner though because the puchkas are forever in demand. You cannot leave the city without trying them out!

Here's something interesting that you can indulge in during your visit to Kolkata for Durga Puja. The city has about 200 households who have been conducting Durga Puja for centuries now. However, what sets them apart from the others is the way they conduct these Durga Pujas. Pushing aside the panache and glamour from the festivals hosted in the city, these aristocratic households or how they are called Bonedi Bari in Bengali, preserve the traditional form of worship. These households actually have a dedicated area for Durga Puja which is called 'thakur dalan' or 'Durga dalan'. It is basically a courtyard that has raised platforms with decorated pillars and arches. Further, the area also has exquisite chandeliers and other sublime interior decors. The women of these families especially participate in all the pujas that take place during Durga Puja. They even host bhog for the visitors on some days. You will find these traditional houses in North and Central Kolkata.

Of the five reasons to visit Kolkata for Durga Puja, the list would certainly be incomplete without the mention of pandal hopping, right? The city is practically decked up with streets filled with various fancy pandals. What makes the pandal visit all the more exquisite is the work that the craftsmen and artisans put in to bring together a structure that amasses tremendous scales of opulence! The moment you step onto the street to just take a stroll during Durga Puja in Kolkata, you will be mesmerised to see the towering pandal structures that look too grand to believe! Pandal hopping is quite a big deal during Durga Puja in Kolkata as this is probably the one time when parents do let their teenage kids go out with their friends without fretting much. So, you will find lots of young crowds relishing the freedom of traversing within the city and pandal hopping.

Thanks to a theme that is followed every year for pandal-making, the structures are super exquisite and diverse in their designs. Just a glance from outside and you would want to visit the pandal and see how they have designed the interiors where Maa Durga's idol has been comfortably placed. The pandals turn into a new level of gorgeous in the evenings as the lights are lit, which makes the structure luminate with vivacity. Plus, evenings also have grand puja aartis so you would definitely want to visit one of the big pandals to witness the grand aarti ceremony. Interestingly, the West Bengal Tourism has added pandal hopping as part of its grand tourist scheme and has also started conducting tours for visitors. In case it is your first time in the city, and you are not certain how to go about the pandal-hopping spree, you could perhaps take up this tour for convenience.

Some of the best pandals that you shouldn't miss at any cost are the Bahubali palace at Sreebhumi Sporting Club (Salt Lake), the pandal at Hindustan Park in South Kolkata, Tala Sarkar Bagan and Jagat Mukherjee Park located in North Kolkata and the pandal in Dumdum which is in the suburbs. The artisans from around the country come over to exhibit their artistic prowess by employing exemplary pandal creation!

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