South Kolkata does the big-budget, heavily designed pujas. Ekdalia Evergreen and Singhi Park build elaborate temple replicas; Maddox Square is less a pandal than a social event, where several thousand people sit on the grass through the night; Suruchi Sangha and Badamtala Ashar Sangha regularly win the design prizes.
The pujas here are close enough together to walk between several in the Gariahat and Ballygunge stretch.
The names
Places, pujas and people, with what each one is| Name | Where | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Ekdalia Evergreen1943 | Ekdalia Road, Ballygunge | Famous for its temple replicas and its chandeliers; one of the most visited in the city. |
| Singhi Park Sarbojanin1941 | Singhi Park, Ballygunge | Large, traditional and very well attended. |
| Maddox Square1935 | Maddox Square, Ballygunge | Less a pandal than an institution; people sit on the grass all night for five days. |
| Ballygunge Cultural Association1953 | Ballygunge | One of the consistent prize winners. |
| Deshapriya Park1938 | Deshapriya Park | Built the tallest Durga idol in 2015, which caused a crowd emergency; still one of the biggest draws. |
| Tridhara Sammilani1947 | Ballygunge | Strong conceptual work. |
| Badamtala Ashar Sangha1939 | Kalighat | Regularly among the best-designed pujas in the city. |
| Suruchi Sangha1952 | New Alipore | Takes a different Indian state as its theme each year. |
| Chetla Agrani Club1948 | Chetla | Associated with Firhad Hakim; ambitious pandal design. |
| Mudiali Club1935 | Mudiali, Tollygunge | A long-running southern puja. |
| 66 Pally1936 | Kalighat | Known for art-led pandals. |
| Behala Nutan Dal1940s | Behala | One of the strong Behala pujas. |
| Barisha Club1930s | Behala | Known for socially themed installations. |
| Hindustan Park Sarbojanin1940s | Hindustan Park, Gariahat | A neighbourhood puja in the designer district. |
| Rajdanga Naba Uday Sangha1970s | Kasba | Eastern fringe, ambitious themes. |
Worth knowing
- The Gariahat-Ballygunge stretch has several within walking distance of each other.
- Maddox Square is for sitting, not for queuing past an idol.
- The big southern pujas have separate queues for the pandal and for darshan.
- Traffic in the south during Puja is effectively stopped. Use the metro.
- Chaturthi and Panchami — before the official start — are when the pandals are viewable without queues.
More on Durga Puja
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