Kolkata is known as the City of Joy for all these years but it is only during Durga puja that we actually get to see the Spirit of Kolkata, we get to feel the joy in the air. Autumn in kolkata bring the good new that the most important festival and the most glamorous event in Kolkata, Durga pooja is here....
Best part of this festive season is the pandal hopping part. There are more than thousands of pandals to visit and given the fact that there's a huge competition amongst them to become the best pooja, every year the theme's are getting more interesting and the pandals are getting better. People start pandal hopping since Ponchomi these days that too from early morning so by the time Soptomi starts the rush is on and you have to push and occasionally jump the queue if you possess the required skills. Because of the crowd and rush many people prefer to start at 3 am and end their tour by 7 am when it's mostly empty but again as I said if you really want to "feel" the spirit of the City Of Joy, then be prepared to push and dash your way in the crowd.
In every part of the city there are some famous and well known Poojas like in South there's Ekdalia Evergreen Club, Singhi park, Jodhpur Park, in central there's Santosh mitra Square, College Square, Mohammad Ali park etc. Well I'll share those pandals that I have visited this year starting with the Central part of kolkata.
In central my 1st stop was Santos Mitra Square. The pandal is quite intriguing because whoever can name the place from where it has been inspired that person gets a 5 lakh prize money.
On the way to my next stop College square, there were many more pandals that were not that famous but they all were worth a look.
As you can see in these pandals a lot of tedious but outstanding handwork was done starting from the roof to the lighting decoration but the real and the best lighting decoration is still owned by College Square Pooja Committee. This time their theme was the Golden Temple of Amritsar. I visited this particular pandal twice, once in the morning to get a better view and again in the night to see the splendid work of lighting display they have put up.
After College Square my next stop was Mohammad-Ali Park. Mohammad-Ali park always stands-out with the idols they put up for display.
On the way to South Kolkata, I found a local pandal whose theme was Akalbodhan Durga from Ramayan and being a huge fan of Ramayan, I just had to pull my camera out. ;)
After Ekdalia Evergreen, it was Singhi parks turn. Singhi park's theme this year was Dakhineshwar.
After Singhi park my next stop was Hindustan Park. Unlike the previous years, this year Hindustan park went traditional but their idols were a bit modern. But the end result of combining a traditional pandal with a modern Maa Durga idol came out quite well.
From the blossoming of "কাশ ফুল" to the "শরতের মেঘের খেলা ", everything is simply captivating.
Only during these 4 days, Soptomi, Astomi, Nobomi and Doshomi, every bengali celebrates their heart out because Durga pooja is bigger than any national holiday, more than any vacation, it is a symbol of our bengali heritage and culture that has been cultivated in Kolkata for all these years.Best part of this festive season is the pandal hopping part. There are more than thousands of pandals to visit and given the fact that there's a huge competition amongst them to become the best pooja, every year the theme's are getting more interesting and the pandals are getting better. People start pandal hopping since Ponchomi these days that too from early morning so by the time Soptomi starts the rush is on and you have to push and occasionally jump the queue if you possess the required skills. Because of the crowd and rush many people prefer to start at 3 am and end their tour by 7 am when it's mostly empty but again as I said if you really want to "feel" the spirit of the City Of Joy, then be prepared to push and dash your way in the crowd.
In every part of the city there are some famous and well known Poojas like in South there's Ekdalia Evergreen Club, Singhi park, Jodhpur Park, in central there's Santosh mitra Square, College Square, Mohammad Ali park etc. Well I'll share those pandals that I have visited this year starting with the Central part of kolkata.
In central my 1st stop was Santos Mitra Square. The pandal is quite intriguing because whoever can name the place from where it has been inspired that person gets a 5 lakh prize money.
On the way to my next stop College square, there were many more pandals that were not that famous but they all were worth a look.
As you can see in these pandals a lot of tedious but outstanding handwork was done starting from the roof to the lighting decoration but the real and the best lighting decoration is still owned by College Square Pooja Committee. This time their theme was the Golden Temple of Amritsar. I visited this particular pandal twice, once in the morning to get a better view and again in the night to see the splendid work of lighting display they have put up.
After College Square my next stop was Mohammad-Ali Park. Mohammad-Ali park always stands-out with the idols they put up for display.
On the way to South Kolkata, I found a local pandal whose theme was Akalbodhan Durga from Ramayan and being a huge fan of Ramayan, I just had to pull my camera out. ;)
Heading towards South, my 1st stop was Park Circus maidan. This pooja is divided in 2 parts, thus the good thing that comes out of it is that we get to enjoy 2 poojas in the same place. The "হাথের কাজ " in both the pandals are the show-stopper. The 1st pandal had no theme thus felt a bit traditional but the 2nd one had Rome's Pantheon as their theme.
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| The Pantheon |
Now after entering South the 1st thing I decided was to checkout the heavyweights like Ekdalia Evergreen, Mudi-Ali park, Jodhpur park, Singhi Park etc. So Ekdalia was my next stop. The pandal in Ekdalia was a bit strange if you look at it from a distance but when you look at it from another angle, it starts to make sense. You will understand what I mean as soon as you scroll down. ;)
After Ekdalia Evergreen, it was Singhi parks turn. Singhi park's theme this year was Dakhineshwar.
But before visiting the pandal, there were some amazing হাথের কাজ that should not be missed.
After Singhi park my next stop was Hindustan Park. Unlike the previous years, this year Hindustan park went traditional but their idols were a bit modern. But the end result of combining a traditional pandal with a modern Maa Durga idol came out quite well.
Finally it was Mudi-Ali parks turn, the pandal that won 1st prize this year probably only for the handicraft or the "হাথের কাজ" that has mostly been done with cloth and "মাটি'র ভার" giving this pandal the perfect traditional touch that it needed to be the best. Everything, starting from the pandal to the idols, was magnificent.
Now time for another local pandal which looked fabulous. Though not famous, but clearly it will be a big hit in the future if they keep this up.
The Only pandal left in south is Jodhpur park. So after a meal in South City it was time for Jodhpur Park. This year their theme was The Sanchi Stupa, to sum it up, Jodhpur park was an absolute beauty and I'm really happy that my South kolkata trip ended with Jodhpur park.
Now it's time to head North. 99% of the idols are constructed in Kumartuli which is situated around Sovabazar in North, thus some amazing idols can be seen in this part of kolkata.
So I started with Chalta bagan in maniktala.
Next stop was Bagbazar Sarbojonin. The pandal was a treat for the eyes and the idols were absolutely bengali traditional.
Next was Hatibagan Nolin Sarkar pooja. From the pandal to the idols, everything was modern this year.
Kumartuli Park was not on my list but still being in that area and seeing everyone heading towards that pandal, it's tough to say no and simply walk away. ;),
Next was Laha Colony. The pandal was amazing, i don't know what it was but by the looks of it, I think it's some South Indian temple. Everything covered in golden yellow can stun your eyes.. The idols were the main attraction of this pooja.
Next was Simla Bayam Samiti. Like always they did a stunning job with a traditional pandal.
Simla Sporting did the same thing as Simla Bayam samiti, they did a traditional pandal with simple idols, no modern art, no theme, may be these two poojas will keep the real traditional pooja in Kolkata alive.
Last pooja pandal visit for me this year was Vivekananda Sporting Club. The pandal starting from the entrance looked stunning and to me the Shiv Murti outside was the show-stopper.
Well today is Doshomi, and after all the pandal hopping, ফুচকা, ভেল পুরি, ঝাল মুড়ি, বিরিয়ানি and enjoying the best time of the year, it is time to bid farewell to maa durga and compensate our heart by telling আসছে বছর আবার হবে!!!!
বড়দের আমার বিজয়া দশমী'র প্রনাম ও বন্ধুদের সুভেচ্ছা রইলো..
জয় মা দূর্গা!!!!
