Durga Puja 2027
A city turned into a gallery for the goddess.
Countdown to Durga Puja 2027
Dates
When is Durga Puja?
Durga Puja 2027 falls from Tuesday, 5 October 2027 to Sunday, 10 October 2027 (expected; it can move by a day).
Shashthi (Bodhon) on 5 Oct and Saptami on 6 Oct; Bengal's Bijoya Dashami falls on 10 Oct, while the Ashtami and Navami days differ slightly between almanacs.
Date checked against drikpanchang.com
| Year | Dates | Length | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 16 – 20 October 2026Fri – Tue | 5 days | Past |
| 2027 | 5 – 10 October 2027Tue – Sun | 6 days | Expected |
See every festival by date in the 2026 festival calendar and 2027 festival calendar.
The story
What it is, and why it matters
- Type
- Art & Spectacle
- Tradition
- Hindu
- Where
- Kolkata, West Bengal
- Crowd
- Millions visit Kolkata's pandals
- UNESCO
- Inscribed intangible heritage
For five days Kolkata is remade around temporary shrines of bamboo and cloth. Some recreate temples; others are installations that would not look out of place in a contemporary art museum.
Durga Puja runs from Shashthi, the sixth day of the bright fortnight of Ashvin, to Bijoya Dashami. Months before, sculptors in the north Kolkata quarter of Kumartuli shape the goddess and her children from straw and river clay, painting the eyes last in a rite called chokkhu daan.
Thousands of community committees build pandals across the city, many around an annual theme. Families spend the nights walking from one to the next, queuing late into the early hours. On the last day married women smear vermilion on the goddess and on each other before the images are carried to the Hooghly for immersion.
Culture
Traditions, food and music of Durga Puja
Traditions
What actually happens
- Mahalaya — the pre-dawn radio recitation that many Bengalis treat as the true start of the season.
- Pandal hopping — touring the city's themed shrines, usually by night and on foot.
- Dhunuchi naach — a dance performed holding clay burners of smoking coconut husk and incense.
- Sindoor khela — the vermilion exchange among married women on Bijoya Dashami.
Food
The table, widened
- Bhog: khichuri, labra (mixed vegetables), fried aubergine and payesh served free at many pandals.
- Street stalls of phuchka, kathi rolls and moghlai paratha that stay open until the crowds thin.
Music
Sound of the crowd
The dhak, a large barrel drum played by travelling drummers, is the sound of the festival. Its patterns change with each ritual, and the evening aarti is accompanied by the dhak, conch shells and bells together.
Religion
Why this date
Bengali tradition welcomes Durga as a married daughter returning to her parents' home with her four children, Lakshmi, Saraswati, Ganesha and Kartikeya. The festival is both a celebration of her victory over Mahishasura and a family homecoming, which is why the final farewell carries real sadness.
History
How it survived
Large household pujas hosted by Bengal's landed families date back several centuries, and community-funded 'barowari' pujas appeared in the late 1700s. By the twentieth century public, neighbourhood-run pujas had become the norm. UNESCO inscribed Durga Puja in Kolkata on the Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2021.
History
How it got here
Large household pujas hosted by Bengal's landed families date back several centuries, and community-funded 'barowari' pujas appeared in the late 1700s. By the twentieth century public, neighbourhood-run pujas had become the norm. UNESCO inscribed Durga Puja in Kolkata on the Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2021.
1757
Shobhabazar Rajbari
One of Kolkata's best-known household pujas begins, a model for aristocratic celebrations.
1790
Barowari puja
A group of residents in Guptipara pool funds for a shared puja, an early community model.
1930s
Mahishasura Mardini
All India Radio's dawn broadcast for Mahalaya begins and becomes an annual ritual.
2021
UNESCO
Durga Puja in Kolkata is inscribed as Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Travel & practical
Visiting Kolkata for Durga Puja
Getting there
Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport (CCU) serves the city; Howrah and Sealdah are the main rail terminals.
Getting around
The Metro runs extended hours during the puja days. Roads near popular pandals are often closed to traffic.
Practical notes
Go on Panchami or early Shashthi to avoid the heaviest crowds. Expect long queues at the famous pandals after dark.
Plan the trip with free AltFTool tools
FAQ
Durga Puja: common questions
Straight answers to what people ask most about Durga Puja.
When is Durga Puja in 2026 and 2027?
In 2026 Durga Puja runs from Maha Shashthi on Friday 16 October to Bijoya Dashami on Tuesday 20 October. In 2027 it begins on Tuesday 5 October, with Bijoya Dashami in Bengal on Sunday 10 October; local almanacs differ slightly on the middle days.
Is Durga Puja the same as Navratri?
They fall in the same period and honour the same goddess, but Durga Puja centres on the final five days and on image worship in pandals, as practised in Bengal and eastern India.
Do visitors need tickets for pandals?
No. Pandals are free to enter. Some popular ones have separate queues, and a few offer passes for priority entry.
Is it UNESCO-listed?
Yes. Durga Puja in Kolkata was inscribed on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list in December 2021.
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