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Durga Puja 2026 — Dates, Pandals & Complete Guide

Durga Puja 2026 runs from Maha Shashthi on Friday 16 October to Vijaya Dashami on Wednesday 21 October, with Mahalaya on Saturday 10 October. The festival crosses every belt of Kolkata — North, Central, South, North-East and South-West — plus Howrah, Siliguri and other towns of West Bengal, and Durga Puja Guide tracks 504 pandals with live crowd status, themes and one-tap directions.

Key dates — verified

  1. Mahalaya 2026Saturday 10 October
  2. Maha Shashthi 2026Friday, Oct 16
  3. Maha Saptami 2026Saturday, Oct 17
  4. Maha Ashtami 2026Monday, Oct 19
  5. Sandhi Puja 2026Monday, Oct 19
  6. Maha Navami 2026Tuesday, Oct 20
  7. Vijayadashami 2026Wednesday, Oct 21

Dates per the verified Mirpur schedule data used across this site (source recorded in src/data/puja-schedule-2026.json).

Kolkata pandals by belt

The dataset covers 504 sarbojanin pandals across the North, Central, South, North-East, South-West and Port belts of Kolkata, plus Howrah, Siliguri and other towns of West Bengal — from the heritage Bonedi Barir Pujo of North Kolkata to the big-budget theme pandals of Suruchi Sangha, Chetla Agrani and Tridhara Sammilani.

Getting around — metro & transport

the Kolkata Metro runs extended night services through the pujas. Most visitors plan one belt per evening — walking the North, Central and South Kolkata streets with the metro for the longer jumps — and keep night visits for the landmark pandals such as Sreebhumi, Deshapriya Park and College Square. See the Kolkata Metro guide for Durga Puja 2026 and the pandal-hopping routes.

Rituals day by day

The puja follows a fixed ritual calendar: Shashthi (Bodhon, Amantran, Adhibas) → Saptami (Nabapatrika, Pushpanjali) → Ashtami (peak day; Kumari Puja and Sandhi Puja) → Navami (Homa, Pushpanjali) → Dashami (Sindoor Khela and visarjan). Read each day's timings on the Durga Puja rituals guide.

Named pandals across the belts

Durga Puja 2026 — Frequently asked questions

When is Durga Puja 2026?

Durga Puja 2026 runs from Maha Shashthi on Friday 16 October to Vijaya Dashami on Wednesday 21 October. Mahalaya is on Saturday 10 October, and Ashtami — the peak day — falls on Monday 19 October.

How many pandals does Durga Puja Guide track for 2026?

Durga Puja Guide tracks 504 pandals — community pujas across Kolkata's belts plus Howrah, Siliguri and other towns — each with live crowd status, theme, timings and directions.

When is Sandhi Puja in 2026?

Sandhi Puja falls at the junction of Ashtami and Navami on Monday 19 October 2026. The auspicious 48 minutes run from 10:28 AM to 11:16 AM.

How do I plan a pandal-hopping route in 2026?

Pick one belt per evening — North, Central or South Kolkata — walk the dense pandal clusters and use the Kolkata Metro for longer jumps. Durga Puja Guide lists every pandal with its address, theme and crowd level.

Where are the biggest theme pandals in 2026?

South Kolkata is the heart of the big-budget theme-puja circuit — Suruchi Sangha, Chetla Agrani, Ekdalia Evergreen Club and Deshapriya Park are among the most-visited, alongside Sreebhumi Sporting Club in Lake Town.

Pandal counts, names and areas above come from the live Durga Puja Guide dataset (last verified 2026-09-17). Dates are from the verified Mirpur schedule data. Anything not yet confirmed is marked Information not yet verified — Durga Puja Guide never publishes invented dates, timings or crowd data.

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