Durga Puja is not only a festival here; it is an economy. Idol-making at Kumartuli, pandal construction, lighting from Chandannagar, dhak drummers who come in from the districts, sound, decoration, new clothes and sweets — a very large part of the city’s retail year is compressed into the six weeks before it.
UNESCO added Durga Puja in Kolkata to its intangible cultural heritage list in 2021.
North Kolkata
Shobhabazar · Shyambazar · Bagbazar · Hatibagan · Kumartuli · Jorasanko · Maniktala| Name | Where | What they carry |
|---|---|---|
| Kumartuli1700s | north Kolkata | Where the idols are made; the trade runs hardest from August to October. |
| Bagbazar and Shobhabazar puja goods shops | Bagbazar, Shobhabazar | Ritual items, flowers, decoration. |
| Ahiritola ritual shops | Ahiritola | Puja goods near the ghats. |
Central Kolkata
BBD Bagh · Esplanade · New Market · Park Street · College Street · Bowbazar · Burrabazar| Name | Where | What they carry |
|---|---|---|
| Mullick Ghat flower market1855 | under Howrah Bridge | The largest flower market in eastern India; marigold, tuberose, garlands. Opens before dawn. |
| Chitpur ritual goods | Rabindra Sarani | Idols, instruments, ritual brass. |
| New Market festival trade1874 | New Market | Clothes and gifting through the Puja season. |
South Kolkata
Bhowanipore · Kalighat · Gariahat · Ballygunge · Lake Market · Jadavpur · Tollygunge| Name | Where | What they carry |
|---|---|---|
| Gariahat and Hatibagan Puja shopping | Gariahat | Where the city buys its Puja clothes; the crowds in September are extreme. |
| Maddox Square and Deshapriya Park | Ballygunge | Two of the best-known Puja pandals. |
Worth knowing
- Kumartuli from August onward, when the idols are being built
- Chandannagar lighting, which is a craft of its own and travels across India
- The dhak drummers arrive from the districts a week before
- New clothes before Puja is close to obligatory; the whole retail trade depends on it
- Book anything — catering, transport, tailoring — well before September
Other shopping
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