Complete calendar and schedule for Durga Puja 2026. Verified dates from Mahalaya to Bijoya Dashami, ritual timings, Kolkata pandals, and UNESCO celebrations.
Durga Puja is one of the world’s grandest public art, socio-cultural, and devotional festivals. In 2026, the astronomical lunar alignment places the primary festival days during the third week of October, coinciding with the Hindu month of Ashwin and the autumn season of Sharad.
In Kolkata, West Bengal, the entire metropolitan area transforms into an open-air public art installation. Thousands of intricately hand-crafted thematic pavilions (pandals) host idols of Goddess Durga slaying the demon Mahishasura, flanked by Lakshmi, Saraswati, Ganesha, and Kartikeya.
Following its inscription onto the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in December 2021, the festival draws millions of global travelers, researchers, and diaspora communities.
Below is the verified day-by-day ritual schedule, astronomical timings, and essential guidance for pandal hopping and cultural events.
Accurate dates calculated from Hindu astronomical ephemeris (Drik Panchang).
The festival follows an exact sequence of spiritual rituals based on lunar tithis (lunar days):
• Mahalaya (Saturday, October 10, 2026): Marks the advent of the Goddess on Earth and the end of Pitru Paksha. Millions gather along the sacred Hooghly riverbanks at dawn to offer Tarpan to departed ancestors, soundtracked by Birendra Krishna Bhadra’s historic Mahisasuramardini radio broadcast. • Maha Shashthi (Friday, October 16, 2026): The formal awakening ceremony (Bodhon), welcoming the Goddess into the pandals with Amantran and Adhibas rites. • Maha Saptami (Saturday, October 17, 2026): The consecration of the Nabapatrika ("Kola Bou"), tied together with sacred yellow fabric and bathed at sunrise. • Maha Ashtami (Sunday, October 18, 2026): The spiritual pinnacle featuring Pushpanjali, Kumari Puja (worship of young girls as deities), and the critical Sandhi Puja performed at the intersection of Ashtami and Navami tithis. • Maha Navami (Monday, October 19, 2026): Grand Dhunuchi Naach dances, rhythmic beating of dhaak drums, and the completion of the Maha Aarti offerings. • Bijoya Dashami (Tuesday, October 20, 2026): Married women perform Sindoor Khela, bidding farewell to the Goddess before majestic river immersion (Bisarjan) processions along the ghats.
Ritual transition times (Sandhi Puja) follow precise lunar tithi calculations and are observed uniformly across both traditional bonedi bari (heritage family estates) and community sarbojanin clubs.
Famous heritage family mansions and contemporary thematic pavilions.
Kolkata’s pandal culture is split into two distinctive experiences:
1. Traditional Aristocratic Estates (Bonedi Bari): Centered in North Kolkata, centuries-old family mansions including Sovabazar Rajbari, Sabarna Roy Choudhury, and Pathuriaghata Ghosh Bari showcase classical "Ekchala" clay idols with traditional Sholar Saaj (white pith decorative filigree). 2. Community Masterpieces (Sarbojanin): Famous clubs—such as College Square, Bagbazar Sarbojanin, Ekdalia Evergreen, Suruchi Sangha, Chetla Agrani, and Maddox Square—collaborate with celebrated contemporary sculptors, architectural designers, and lighting artisans from Chandannagar.
How cities accommodate millions of night-time celebrants.
To facilitate night-long pandal visits without congestion, Kolkata Metro operates special all-night train runs across both Blue (North-South) and Green (East-West under-river) lines from Shashthi through Dashami.
Visitors are advised to purchase multi-day smart tokens in advance, wear comfortable walking footwear, and utilize dedicated pedestrian heritage corridors established by the Kolkata Police Traffic Department.
Central Deity
Embodiment of feminine divine power and victory of light over darkness.
International Cultural Organization
Inscribed Kolkata’s Durga Puja on the Intangible Cultural Heritage list.
Civic & Tourism Authority
Organizes the annual Red Road Carnival and municipal support systems.
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