Aura of India: Durga Puja Pandal Hopping in Kolkata: An Ashtami Night Guide

Lit decorative panels along a Kolkata street on a Durga Puja night

Photo: Xopolino, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped), via Wikimedia Commons

Kolkata on the night of Maha Ashtami, the eighth day of Durga Puja.

For a few nights the whole city becomes a gallery, and everyone goes out walking.

A city of pandals

A pandal is a temporary shrine, built for the festival out of bamboo, cloth, wood and whatever else the theme calls for. Kolkata puts up thousands of them, in parks, in lanes and across whole streets. Inside each one stands Durga on her lion, ten arms out, driving a spear into the buffalo demon Mahishasura. Her children stand on either side: Lakshmi and Saraswati, Ganesha and Kartik. The images are made of river clay, most of them shaped in the potters' quarter of Kumartuli in the north of the city, and painted only in the last weeks.

How the night is spent

Ashtami begins early. In the morning people gather in the pandals for anjali, an offering of flowers made together, often after fasting since the night before. At the meeting point of Ashtami and Navami comes Sandhi Puja, a short ritual with 108 lamps and 108 lotuses, timed to the minute by the almanac. Then the city dresses up and goes pandal hopping: families, friends and whole neighbourhoods walking from one pandal to the next, queueing for a minute in front of the goddess, eating from the stalls in between, and carrying on until the trains stop at four.

Why people come

Durga Puja in Bengal was once a private festival, held in the courtyards of large houses. In the early twentieth century neighbourhoods began to hold it together, as a sarbojanin or community puja, open to all; the Bagbazar puja in north Kolkata, begun in 1919, is one of the oldest still running. Today many pandals are works of public art, designed by artists around a theme, and judged and talked about all week. In 2021 UNESCO added Durga Puja in Kolkata to its list of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity.

Getting around

Leave the car. On the four big nights in 2026, 17 to 20 October, the Blue Line of the Metro runs from 1 pm to about 4 am, and the Green Line runs through the night between Howrah Maidan and Salt Lake Sector V. North Kolkata's old pujas lie near the Shyambazar, Sovabazar and Girish Park stations; the large themed pandals of the south are near Kalighat, Rabindra Sarobar and Gariahat. Walk between pandals close together, and use the Metro for the long jumps.

Planning the night

Choose north or south, not both. The north has the older pujas, narrow lanes and traditional images; the south has the large themed pandals and the longest queues. A full night in one half is enough. Start in the late afternoon, when the queues are still short, or after one in the morning, when the families with children have gone home.

Saptami falls across two days in 2026, 17 and 18 October, so the crowds build over four nights instead of three. Ashtami, on 19 October, is the busiest. If you want the anjali in the morning, go to a neighbourhood puja rather than a famous one, and arrive by eight.

Respect in the pandal

A pandal is a place of worship as well as an exhibition. Take off your shoes where others do, keep to the line, and do not climb onto the platform. Photography of the image is usually allowed from the floor; ask before photographing people at prayer. Leave the space in front of the goddess for the priest and the dhakis, the drummers who play through the evening aarti.

A night's route

Kumartuli: the potters' lanes by day, where the images are made.
Bagbazar Sarbojanin: an old community puja with a traditional image.
Ahiritola and Kumartuli Park: north Kolkata pandals a short walk apart.
College Square: lights reflected in the square's large pool.
Mohammad Ali Park and Santosh Mitra Square: large central pandals, long queues.
Ekdalia Evergreen and Singhi Park: two well-known pandals near Gariahat.
Suruchi Sangha and Tridhara: themed pandals in south Kolkata.

At four in the morning the queues are still moving, and the drummers have not stopped.

Plan your visit

2026 dates	Shashthi 16 October; Saptami 17 and 18 October; Ashtami 19 October; Navami 20 October; Bijoya Dashami and the immersions 21 October. Regional calendars can shift a date by a day.
Entry	Free. Some famous pandals run separate queues or passes for certain visitors; the general line is open to all.
Best hours	Late afternoon before 7 pm, or after 1 am. The queues are longest from 8 pm to midnight.
Getting around	Metro Blue Line 1 pm to 4 am, 17 to 20 October; Green Line 1.30 pm to about 4 am. Many roads close to cars near the big pandals.
Where to stay	Esplanade and Park Street for both halves of the city; Gariahat and Ballygunge for the south; Shyambazar side for the north.
What to bring	Comfortable shoes you can slip off, water, small notes for the food stalls, and a phone with offline maps. Agree on a meeting point if you are in a group.

Open Bagbazar Sarbojanin Durgotsab, Kolkata in Google Maps

Questions people ask

When is Durga Puja in 2026?

The main days are 16 to 21 October 2026: Shashthi on 16 October, Saptami on 17 and 18, Ashtami on 19, Navami on 20 and Bijoya Dashami on 21 October.

Is there an entry fee for pandals?

No. Pandals are free to enter. Expect to queue at the famous ones, sometimes for an hour or more on Ashtami night.

Does the Kolkata Metro run all night during the puja?

On 17 to 20 October 2026 the Blue Line runs from 1 pm to 4 am and the Green Line from 1.30 pm to about 4 am. On Dashami, 21 October, both close by about 10.30 pm.

North or south Kolkata for pandal hopping?

The north has the older community pujas and traditional images, close together. The south has the large themed pandals. With one night, pick one half.

Can visitors of any faith go in?

Yes. Pandals are open to everyone. Dress modestly, take off your shoes where others do, and keep to the line.

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Durga Puja Pandal Hopping in Kolkata: An Ashtami Night Guide