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Durga Puja in West Bengal

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Sarodiya Durga Puja
Grand decorations reflecting the richness of art and culture of Basirhat's Durgapuja in Sobuj Sangha.
CountryIndia
Reference00703
RegionWest Bengal (celebrated statewide)
Inscription history
Inscription2021
ListRepresentative
Observances: Sindoor Khela, Worship of Goddess Durga

Durga Puja in West Bengal (Bengali: পশ্চিমবঙ্গের দুর্গাপূজা) is an annual festival celebrated magnificently marking the worship of the Hindu mother goddess Durga.[1] This festival is the biggest festival of West Bengal.[2]

Police-Registered Durga Puja Pandals by top Cities

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The following table shows the number of Durga Puja pandals officially registered with the local police authorities in various cities of West Bengal:

Police-Registered Durga Puja Pandals in West Bengal (2025)
City Number of Registered Pujas
Kolkata 248[3]
Asansol–Durgapur 100+[4]
Siliguri 82[5]
Basirhat 73[6][7]
Berhampore 47[8]

Regional observations

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Kolkata

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Ballygunge Cultural Association, Rashbehari, Kolkata presenting Arshinagar in their pandal

In Kolkata, Durga Puja is an annual festival celebrated magnificently.[9][10] Kolkata alone hosted more than 3,000 Barowari pujas in Kolkata in 2022, with more than 200 pujas were organized in the city with a budget of over one crore rupees.[11] Kolkata has been inscribed on the list of UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists in December 2021.[12] Barowari pujas like Kashi Bose Lane, Jagat Mukherjee Park, Santosh Mitra Square (Lebutala Park), Chetla Agrani, Suruchi Sangha, Ballygunge Cultural Association, Tridhara Sammilani, Hindusthan Club, Hindustan Park are famous for its interior decoration of the pandal.[13] Meanwhile Bagbazar Sorbojonin,[14] Maddox Square,[15] Ekdalia Evergreen and many more clubs are famous for the tradition of Sabeki Pujo.

Maddox Square, Kolkata Durga Puja celebration in 2012
Hindustan Park Durga Puja 2023, Gariahat, Kolkata

Basirhat

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From left to right: (a) Grand decorations by Sobuj Sangha; (b) Installations by Gheepukur Dhar Netaji Union — both are key Durga Puja committees of Basirhat.

In Basirhat, West Bengal, the scale and intensity of Durga Puja celebrations are among the largest in North 24 Parganas district. In terms of the number of Durga Puja pandals, the city ranks fourth in West Bengal, following Kolkata, Asansol-Durgapur, and Siliguri.[16][17] For more than 150 years, the Durga idol has been immersed on boats in this city. On the day of Vijayadashami, people usually come in Basirhat to see the immersion festival. The idols and installations have changed in the modern era, but the immersion continues to be done in the Ichamati River by boat according to the ancient tradition. A fair is held on both banks of the river centering on the immersion. The special attraction of this fair is wooden furniture and various wooden items.[18][19]

See Also

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References

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  1. ^ "Durga Puja". Indian Culture. Ministry of Culture, Government of India. Retrieved 9 July 2025.
  2. ^ "Durga Puja". West Bengal Tourism. Department of Tourism, Government of West Bengal. Retrieved 9 July 2025.
  3. ^ "Durga Puja: Kolkata Elevates Durga Puja Festivities with 248 Major Celebrations". The Times of India. 6 March 2024. Retrieved 9 July 2025.
  4. ^ "Asansol Police releases Puja road guide map". The Statesman. 10 September 2023. Retrieved 9 July 2025.
  5. ^ "Durga Puja Guide Map – Siliguri Metropolitan Police (2024)" (PDF). Siliguri Metropolitan Police. Government of West Bengal. 8 October 2024. Retrieved 13 June 2025.
  6. ^ "Durga Puja 2024: পরিদর্শনকারীরা QR কোড স্ক্যান ও GPS-র মাধ্যমে দেখতে পারবেন দুর্গাপুজো". News18 বাংলা (in Bengali). 10 June 2024. Retrieved 13 June 2025.
  7. ^ "Durga Puja Guide Map – Photo Gallery". Basirhat Police District. Government of West Bengal Police. Retrieved 9 July 2025.
  8. ^ "বহরমপুর ও কান্দিতে পুজো গাইড ম্যাপের উদ্বোধন প্রশাসনের তরফে" [Inauguration of Durga Puja Guide Map in Berhampore and Kandi by the Administration]. News18 Bengali (in Bengali). 17 October 2023. Retrieved 9 July 2025.
  9. ^ "Kolkata's biggest religious festival Durga Puja reframed as international art experience". The World from PRX. 29 September 2022. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
  10. ^ "Durga Puja 2022: City of Joy Kolkata gears up for biggest festival". Hindustan Times. Kolkata. 5 September 2022. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  11. ^ Shiv Sahay Singh. "I-T notices to Durga Pujas even as festival seeks UNESCO status". The Hindu. Kolkata. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  12. ^ "UNESCO – Durga Puja in Kolkata". UNESCO. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  13. ^ "Durga Puja 2024: A Look At Kolkata's Most Creative Pandals". NDTV. 18 October 2024. Retrieved 9 July 2025.
  14. ^ "Durga Puja in Bagbazar, West Bengal". India Today. Living Media India Ltd. 21 October 2012. Retrieved 9 July 2025.
  15. ^ "মহাঅষ্টমীর সকালে ,ম্যাডক্স স্কোয়ার" [Sandhi Puja at Maddox Square and Other Places Witness Huge Crowd on Sunday Morning]. ABP Ananda (in Bengali). Retrieved 9 July 2025.
  16. ^ "বসিরহাট শহর ও মহকুমা এলাকায় থিম দুর্গাপুজোতে মাইলফলক". News18 বাংলা (in Bengali). Network18. Retrieved 19 February 2025.
  17. ^ "Durga Puja 2024: পরিদর্শনকারীরা QR কোড স্ক্যান ও GPS-র মাধ্যমে দেখতে পারবেন দুর্গাপুজো". News18 বাংলা (in Bengali). 10 June 2024. Retrieved 13 June 2025.
  18. ^ "Immersion by Boat in Ichamati at Basirhat: Crowds of Hundreds of Thousands on Both Riverbanks". Zee News Bengali (in Bengali). Zee Media Corporation. 24 October 2023. Retrieved 23 February 2025.
  19. ^ শুভদীপ ঘোষ (12 October 2024). ইছামতী নদীতে দুর্গা প্রতিমা বিসর্জন. BanglaLive (in Bengali). Retrieved 23 February 2025.
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