Durga Puja in Kolkata

When I was young, Durga Puja fascinated me but I never knew what it really meant. The six days puja is backed with several stories that tell how it originated. Durga Puja is no different.  Read more 

There are several stories that goes beyond normal human understanding to explain the stories of mythology.


One such version of Durga Puja story introduced to me by my grandmother was the story of Mahishasura (the buffalo demon). In this story, Goddess Durga slays a demon named Mahishasura to bring peace and truth on the Universe.

Durga Puja Preparation

West Bengal, especially Kolkata is known for celebrating this Puja in a grand manner. The puja’s celebrated here goes beyond religion. It is not only a symbol of good’s triumph but a festival where everyone forgets grudges and open their hearts to everyone. 

Bengali’s celebrate this festival with great zeal. The preparation for this festival starts 6 months before the celebration date. Durga Puja is a five day festival and the states of West Bengal, Asom, Tripura, Jharkhand enjoys celebrate this week long celebration. 

There are several things that are arranged by people on a group and individual level to make this entire affair a very grand and successful one. Here are a few things that are taken care of as pre-puja preparations.

• Theme Puja and competition
• Making beautiful deity idols
• Lighting system and music
• New clothes for everyone
• Car hiring service
  

Theme Puja is the essence of the festival. The concept of theme has become so important these days that different clubs go beyond expectations to create an outstanding pandal. Since the last decade Kolkata has been a very active participant in theme pujas. 

Puja Pandals in Kolkata

Pandal hopping is an integral part of modern puja celebration. However, cars are not available during the festival period due to heavy bookings. As a pre-puja preparation, people and organizations pre-books cars and buses for pandal hopping.

The more prizes a local puja committee gets, the more people visit the pandal. From early morning to late night, these places are filled with throngs of people.