Blog

This post is part of our Travel Blogs series. In our previous blog, we gave you a complete itinerary for South Kolkata Durga Puja pandal hopping. If you have not read it yet, read it here. In this blog, we give you a complete itinerary for North & Central Kolkata Durga Puja 2026 pandal hopping. 

This year, Durga Puja runs from 16 to 21 October 2026, with Mahalaya on 10 October. Durga Puja is celebrated all over the world, but nobody does it quite like Kolkata. This is the time of year when the city slows down and welcomes its daughter, Maa Durga, into its homes and its lives. 

This blog focuses on Barowari pujas, the community pujas that are open to everyone, plus the famous Sovabazar Rajbari, a Bonedi Bari (family) puja. 

Pandals

Kolkata is known for its grand pandals, the temporary structures that house the idols of Maa Durga. The festival reached new heights when UNESCO added Durga Puja in Kolkata to its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2021. 

We have listed 17 stops covering 21 pandals, which you can visit in one long day or split over two. This route can also be followed in future years, as we have arranged it for the quickest road links between one pandal and the next. Traffic during Puja gets very heavy, and every hour spent stuck in it is a pandal you miss.

Durga Puja 2026 dates 

Day	Date	What to know
Mahalaya	Sat 10 Oct	Devi Paksha begins
Maha Shashthi	Fri 16 Oct	Most pandals open to visitors
Maha Saptami	Sat 17 – Sun 18 Oct	The tithi runs across two days this year
Maha Ashtami	Mon 19 Oct	Pushpanjali and Sandhi Puja
Maha Navami	Tue 20 Oct	Many families revisit favourite pandals
Vijaya Dashami	Wed 21 Oct	Sindoor Khela and immersion begin

Some calendars start Shashthi a day later, so check the date with the puja committee. As a rule, mornings and the days before Saptami are calmer, and Ashtami and Navami nights are the busiest.

Route

This is the order we suggest. The 17 stops cover 21 pandals, because a few stops have more than one pandal side by side. 

1. College Square (including Sealdah Railway Athletic Club) 

2. Chorbagan Sarbojanin 

3. Chaltabagan Lohapatty 

4. Nalin Sarkar Street 

5. Hatibagan Sarbojanin 

6. Kashi Bose Lane 

7. Sovabazar Rajbari 

8. Ahiritola Sarbojanin 

9. Kumartuli Park and Kumartuli Sarbojanin 

10. Jagat Mukherjee Park 

11. Bagbazar Sarbojanin 

12. Tala Barowari 

13. Tala Prattoy 

14. Dakshinpara Durgotsav 

15. Arjunpur Amra Sobai Club 

16. Dum Dum Park (Dum Dum Park Sarbojanin, Bharat Chakra and Tarun Dal) 

17. Sreebhumi Sporting Club

Plan A: one day, 12 pandals 

Best if you have only one day. Covering all 21 pandals in a single day is not realistic on a busy night, so this plan sticks to the central and heritage stretch, where the pandals are close together. As a rough guide, allow 30 to 40 minutes per pandal, including queues. Start by mid-afternoon and expect to finish around midnight. 

Order: Sealdah Railway Athletic Club, College Square, Chorbagan, Chaltabagan, Nalin Sarkar Street, Hatibagan, Kashi Bose Lane, Sovabazar Rajbari, Ahiritola, Kumartuli Park, Jagat Mukherjee Park, Bagbazar. 

Left out: Kumartuli Sarbojanin, Tala Barowari, Tala Prattoy, Dakshinpara, Arjunpur, the Dum Dum Park pandals and Sreebhumi. Save these for a second outing

Plan B: two days, all 21 pandals 

This is the relaxed version and the one we recommend. Day 1 covers the heritage heart of North and Central Kolkata. Day 2 moves to the north-east, where the pandals are further apart and the roads are busier. If you can choose your days, go on Shashthi and Saptami, before the Ashtami and Navami rush. 

Day 1: Central and North Kolkata (13 pandals) 

1. Sealdah Railway Athletic Club 

2. College Square 

3. Chorbagan Sarbojanin 

4. Chaltabagan Lohapatty 

5. Nalin Sarkar Street 

6. Hatibagan Sarbojanin 

7. Kashi Bose Lane 

8. Sovabazar Rajbari 

9. Ahiritola Sarbojanin 

10. Kumartuli Park 

11. Kumartuli Sarbojanin 

12. Jagat Mukherjee Park 

13. Bagbazar Sarbojanin 

Day 2: Shyambazar, Dum Dum and Lake Town (8 pandals) 

1. Tala Barowari 

2. Tala Prattoy 

3. Dakshinpara Durgotsav 

4. Arjunpur Amra Sobai Club 

5. Dum Dum Park Sarbojanin 

6. Dum Dum Park Bharat Chakra 

7. Dum Dum Park Tarun Dal 

8. Sreebhumi Sporting Club 

A tip for Day 2: Sreebhumi has the longest queue of the route, about two hours at peak. If you can, reverse the order and go there first thing in the morning (or well after midnight), then work back towards Tala. 

How to start 

We suggest starting at College Square, which you can reach easily by both metro and train. For the metro, get off at MG Road and walk straight towards College Street. By train, get off at Sealdah and walk to College Square. Once that is done, follow the route above. 

Download the Kolkata Police map for North & Central Kolkata Durga Puja from here. On Puja evenings the police close some roads and make others one-way, so follow the barricades on the ground. 

College Square (Include Sealdah Railway Athletic Club)

If you are coming by train, get off at Sealdah station. Walk about 100 metres to reach Sealdah Railway Athletic Club. Then walk straight towards College Square, which is not far. 

The Athletic Club’s 2026 theme is a London Bridge pandal. This puja had a difficult run-up. It received only verbal permission for the ground in late September, held its Khuti Puja about three weeks before the festival, and was racing to finish

If you are coming by metro, get off at MG Road, take an auto to the Bata shop and walk for 10 minutes to the Puja premises. 

College Square is in its 79th year. This year the pandal recreates Rajasthan’s Albert Hall Museum in Jaipur, rebuilt on the banks of the College Square lake. The museum is a famous example of Indo-Saracenic architecture, with layered domes and arched colonnades. The idol stays traditional, made by Padma Shri sculptor Sanatan Rudra Pal. 

Chorbagan Sarbojonin

Once you finish at College Square, take the road from College Street towards Thanthania Kali Bari and keep walking. Just beside the Kali Mandir, take Muktaram Babu Street and walk straight to Chorbagan Sarbojanin. You will spot signboards easily. 

This is the puja’s 91st year, and its 2026 theme is Beyond Sound

Chaltabagan Lohapatty Durga Puja

Once done, come back near Thanthania Kali Mandir, or go towards Central Avenue, whichever is closer. Take any bus or cab towards Maniktala crossing. On the way, get off at the Chaltabagan stoppage to visit the pandal. 

The Manicktala Chaltabagan Lohapatty Durga Puja is in its 84th year. Its 2026 theme is Nishan: The Mark, conceived by artist Aditi Chakraborty. It is inspired by the Ramnami Samaj of Chhattisgarh, a community whose members write the name of Ram across their bodies, a practice that began in the 1890s as a peaceful answer to being denied entry at a temple. The pandal traces godna, the tattoo, as one of India’s oldest acts of faith, protection and quiet protest. The theme music is by Pt Vishwa Mohan Bhatt. 

Nalin Sarkar Street

Once done with Chaltabagan, take a bus and get off at Maniktala. Take another bus to APC Road and get down near Khanna crossing, or at the next stop after it. The entry gates may change each year, so ask around once you get down. 

Nalin Sarkar Street is in its 94th year. The 2026 theme is Jalalipi (Jal Lipi, “the writing of water”), designed by Sanatan Dinda. It tells the story of the Ganga and the towns and civilisation that grew along her banks, and it sets that beside today’s plastic and pollution. The background music is river-based.

Hatibagan Sarbajanin

Once done, walk straight towards Hatibagan More via Khanna crossing and you will arrive at Hatibagan Sarbojanin. 

The puja is in its 92nd year. Its 2026 theme is Chhondo Chhara Chhonnochhara (“Without Rhythm, in Disarray”), a play on the Bengali words for rhythm and scattered. It shows old Kolkata, with its arches, verandas and porches, sitting beside high-rises and crumbling houses. The pandal has wood-carved work, and the backdrop behind the idol carries memories of old Kolkata. The artist is Rabin (Rabindra) Roy.

Kashi Bose Lane

Take Hatibagan Road and walk towards Khudiram College, the road that leads to Scottish Church School, to reach Kashi Bose Lane. 

Kashi Bose Lane is in its 89th year. Its 2026 theme is AADIM: Life in its Primal Rhythm, built on Warli art. Warli’s simple lines show everyday work, dance and community life, and the pandal uses them to show the bond between people and nature. The artist is Anirban Das.

Sovabajar Rajbari

From Kashi Bose Lane, head towards Central Avenue. Take any bus or auto, then head towards Sovabazar, near Seth Anandaram Jaipuria College. Just beside it, go straight towards Raja Nabakrishna Street to reach Sovabazar Rajbari. There are two Durga Pujas opposite each other here. 

This is a Bonedi Bari puja, not a theme pandal. Raja Nabakrishna Deb started it in 1757, and it is widely regarded as the first major Durga Puja in Calcutta. Visit for the old thakurdalan, the courtyards and the rituals rather than for a queue. Because it is a family puja, access hours can differ from the pandals around it, so check before you go, and ask before photographing people or rituals. 

A nice detail: at the Rajbari’s Khuti Puja, a fresh piece of bamboo is worshipped, and it later becomes the core of the goddess’s right leg.

Ahiritola Sarbajanin

Once done, cross the road and walk further towards BK Paul Avenue. Take an auto or bus, as available, and head straight to Ahiritola Sarbojanin. 

Ahiritola is in its 87th year. Its 2026 theme is Madhuri Maitrir Anweshane (“In Search of Sweetness and Togetherness”). It tells the sweet history of North Kolkata, from old sandesh and rasgulla shops to the neighbourhood sweet shop as a place for adda. The idea is that sweets bring people together across religion and caste.

Kumartuli park

Come back towards the BK Paul Avenue junction and continue towards Rabindra Sarani to reach Kumartuli Park. 

This puja is housed in one of the oldest areas of North Kolkata, and the pandal is known for being crafted by some of the best artists. Most of Kolkata’s idols are made in Kumartuli. 

Kumartuli Park‘s 2026 theme is Gangotri to Ganga. It follows India’s most sacred river from the Gangotri glacier in the Himalayas down to the Bay of Bengal. The teaser showed paper boats sailing on painted blue waves. 

Kumartuli Sarbojanin is a separate puja nearby, close to Sovabazar Rajbari. It is the potters’ own community puja and is known for its idol artistry.

Jagat Mukherjee Park

After Kumartuli Park, walk about 600 metres towards Jatindra Mohan Avenue or Central Avenue and you will find Jagat Mukherjee Park right on the main road. 

This is the puja’s 90th year, and it is widely credited with starting Kolkata’s first theme-based Durga Puja in 1959. The 2026 theme is reported as Pandulipi (“Manuscript”), with a shift towards India’s ancient history and heritage

Bagbajar Sarbajanin

Take a bus from the main road and head straight towards Bagbazar Street. Follow the directions to one of the oldest Durga Pujas of Kolkata. 

Bagbazar was the first Barowari, or public, Durga Puja that was not held in an aristocrat’s or zamindar’s house. It still attracts one of the biggest crowds in the city. It does not follow a theme. It is known for its traditional ekchala sabeki idol, with the white daker saj and a majestic lion. The pandal also organises a big mela with rides. The puja was founded in 1919. 

Tala Barowari

From Bagbazar, head towards Shyambazar More and continue towards BT Road. Get down near Tala Bridge, where the Tala Barowari puja is located. 

Tala Barowari is in its 106th year. Its 2026 line is Uttorer Uttor (uttor means both “north” and “answer”, so it reads as “the north’s answer”), with the tagline Shurur Shuru (“the beginning of the beginning”)

Tala Pratyay

From Tala Barowari, head back towards Shyambazar More and take the road towards RG Kar and Belgachia. You will find plenty of buses and autos that go directly to Tala Prattoy. 

Tala Prattoy is in its 101st year, after its centenary last year. Its 2026 theme is reported as Biyojon (“Separation”), about letting go of worldly attachment before moving towards the divine. The artist is Sushanta Shibani Paul

Dakshinpara Durgotsav

From Tala Prattoy, take a taxi or bus to get down near Shyamnagar on Jessore Road, then take a rickshaw or walk to Dakshinpara. 

Dakshinpara Durgotsav, in Satgachi, Baguiati, has become one of North Kolkata’s most talked-about creative pandals, known for bold artistry and modern themes

Arjunpur Amra Sobai Club

From Dakshinpara, take a bus to go near Nagerbazar to reach Arjunpur Amra Sobai Club. You can also enter from VIP Road. 

Founded in 1973, the club is in its 53rd year and has become a major name on North Kolkata’s Durga Puja circuit, known for art-driven, socially conscious themes. Its Khuti Puja was held on 20 April 2026.

Source – India Blooms

Dum Dum Park (Dum Dum Park Sarbojanin, Bharat Chakra & Tarun dol)

Once you are done, take Jessore Road and head straight towards the Dum Dum Park area. There are three pandals back to back here: Dum Dum Park Sarbojanin, Bharat Chakra and Tarun Dal. You can complete all three in one go. 

Dum Dum Park Sarbojanin is celebrating its platinum jubilee, its 75th year. The committee released a teaser titled Pochattore Prottuttor (“A Response at Seventy-Five”), with a man carrying the goddess’s face on his shoulder. 

Bharat Chakra is in its 26th year, and its banner line reads “Heritage is our root, festival is our identity”

Tarun Dal is in its 49th year. Its 2026 theme is Jot (“Joining” or “Connection”), shaped by artist Purnendu De. The idea is that every big creation starts with a joining, from elements forming DNA, and cells forming a body, to families forming a society and many forces coming together as Durga. 

Sreebhumi Sporting Club

Once done, take VIP Road and get off near the Sreebhumi stoppage. 

This is the club that has broken crowd records in recent years. The authorities once had to shut pandal entry because of the crowd, during its Burj Khalifa year.

The 2026 pandal recreates Jaipur’s Hawa Mahal, the Palace of Winds, with its honeycomb front of 953 small windows, in the same red and pink with lattice work, lit with Chandannagar lighting. The idol is traditional this year. Plan for a queue of up to two hours at peak. Agree a meeting point before you join it, because phone networks jam there. 

Quick tips 

• Wear comfortable shoes. You will walk a lot. 

• Carry water, a power bank and some cash for street food. 

• Check the latest Kolkata Metro timetable before you go. Timings are extended during Puja. 

• Agree a meeting point before you join any queue, because phone networks can jam in crowds. 

Conclusion

If you are coming or staying back in Kolkata you can follow our itinerary to view the best North & Central Kolkata Durga Puja pandals. This is definitely not the ultimate list of pandals, as we will list down plenty of other names as well which you can also visit.

If you are coming to Kolkata or staying back for Puja, you can follow this itinerary to see the best North & Central Kolkata pandals. This is not the final list, and there are plenty of other pandals worth a visit. We arranged the order so that travel and connectivity stay as smooth as possible. 

Other North & Central Kolkata pandals to look out for: 

1. Md Ali Park 
2. Santosh Mitra Square
3. Shimla Byam Samiti 
4. Salt Lake FD Block 
5. Lake Town Adhibasi Brindo 
6. Kankurgachi Mitali Sangha 
7. Telengabagan 
8. Kankurgachi Yuvak Brindo 
9. Newtown Sarbajanin

If you enjoy detailed travel journeys, you can explore more of our Travel Blogs here.