First time at Kolkata Durga Puja? A visitor’s guide
Coming from outside the city or outside India: what the days mean, how many to stay, getting around, etiquette, and how not to spend the festival in a traffic jam.
Kolkata’s Durga Puja is one of the largest festivals anywhere, recognised by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage. For five days the whole city becomes a public art exhibition, hundreds of temporary pandals built around images of the goddess, and almost everyone is out on the street. It is wonderful, and it is overwhelming the first time.
The days that matter
The main days are Shashthi, Saptami, Ashtami, Navami and Dashami. Saptami to Navami are the peak nights, when the crowds and the energy are at their height. Panchami and Shashthi are quieter and a good time to see the pandals properly. Dates move each year with the lunar calendar.
How long to stay
Three nights is ideal: one in north Kolkata for the old city and its heritage pujas, one in south Kolkata for the big theme pandals, and one in Salt Lake or central Kolkata. Book accommodation early; hotels fill up well before the festival.
Getting around
Take the metro. The Blue and Green Lines run through the night from Saptami to Navami, while roads around the big pandals close to traffic from the afternoon. Taxis and app cabs will leave you at a barricade, often some distance from where you want to be. The Pujo map shows the nearest metro station for every pandal.
Pandal etiquette
- Everyone is welcome, whatever your religion. Entry to pandals is free.
- Queue patiently; at the famous pujas, volunteers manage the line and the pace.
- Take your shoes off if you approach the altar area where others have, and do not touch the idol or offerings.
- Photography of the pandal is almost always fine; ask before photographing people or rituals, and avoid flash near the idol.
- At family (bonedi bari) pujas you are a guest in someone’s home: be quiet and follow what you are asked.
Safety
- Crowds are dense but generally good-humoured. Keep your phone and wallet in a front pocket.
- Agree a meeting point with your group at every pandal. The mobile network is often jammed near big pujas.
- Police kiosks and committee help desks are at all major pandals. Emergency: 112; Kolkata Traffic Police helpline: 1073.
What to see first
Start with this year’s themes to see what catches your eye, then use the one-night plan to build an evening around one part of the city.