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Durga Puja
By Experience My India Editorial Team
Destination specialists and licensed local guides
Durga Puja is West Bengal's largest festival, a multi-day celebration of the goddess Durga marked by elaborate, often artistically ambitious pandals (temporary structures) across Kolkata, timed to the Hindu month of Ashwin — the same lunar period as Navratri elsewhere in India — which typically places it in September or October.
What happens
Kolkata's neighbourhoods compete to build elaborate, often thematically inventive pandals housing Durga idols, and pandal-hopping — visiting as many as possible over the festival's main days — is the city's central activity during the celebration. The main days culminate in immersion of the idols in the Hooghly river.
Where to experience it
Kolkata is unambiguously the place to be — the scale and artistic ambition of its pandals is a specific cultural phenomenon distinct from Durga Puja/Navratri celebrations elsewhere in India.
When it falls
Durga Puja is timed to the same lunar period as Navratri, in the Hindu month of Ashwin, typically placing the main days in September or October and shifting on the Gregorian calendar each year. (confirmed on enquiry)
Frequently asked questions
When is Durga Puja this year?
Typically September or October, in the same lunar window as Navratri. Confirm the exact dates for your travel year. (confirmed on enquiry)
Is Durga Puja the same as Navratri?
They fall in the same lunar period and share a goddess-focused theme, but Durga Puja in Bengal has its own distinct traditions, especially the pandal culture, that differ from Navratri celebrations in other regions.
How crowded does Kolkata get?
Extremely — pandal-hopping during the main days draws enormous crowds across the city, and traffic and queues at the most popular pandals can be significant.
Experiences around Durga Puja
Festivals
Durga Puja in Kolkata
Private tour
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