8 Best Cities to Celebrate Dussehra & Durga Puja in India

BENGALURU: It’s less than 100days for one of the biggest festivals in the country – Durga Puja or Dussehra. Many plan for trips or simply continue working without participating in the celebration. Again, thousands come from foreign countries to witness the joy and show Indians put up during this Durga Puja.

You might mistaken this as any other spree, but believe it, certain colors, traditions, pomp and rituals you can experience only during Durga Puja. To by-stand these happy moments you cannot really sit back at home and surf the internet.

Roll your sleeves, take a camera and reach the listed top eight destinations within the country. You will experience extravaganza, ecstasy and elegance that no place on earth can gift you other than the motherland of river Ganges, India.

Kolkata, West Bengal

Bengalis believe Maa Durga returns to her paternal place and thus worship her like a daughter during this festive season. Temporary temples called ‘pandals’ made of bamboos and colorful decors are put up in open spaces to place the life sized idols. Amidst your pandal hopping, as you mesmerize the creations of skilled artisans, do not miss the scrumptious road side food or the magnificent processions on the last day to immerse the idols in river Ganges. Outskirts of Kolkata, in districts like Birbhum, Bankura, Jalpaiguri or Siliguri – the celebration is equally elaborate. ‘Bhog’, ‘pushpanjali’, ‘shaondhi pujo’ and ‘dhak’ – are sources of unadulterated happiness during Durga Puja in Kolkata.

Ahmedabad, Gujarat

The state of Mahatma Gandhi celebrates the victory of good over evil in October or hindu month called ‘Ashwina’. On the day of Dussehra, giant dummies of the demon, Ravana filled with fireworks are shot with arrows to engage public in an enormous fire art galore at night. The outstanding feature of Dussehra in Gujarat is Rasa and Garba dances performed by localites in communities irrespective of caste and creed, status or power. A circular dance form involving clapping and whirling along with a prop stick known as ‘Dandiya’ attracts tourists here. Top singers and performers in cultural outfits gather at hotspots like Navlakhi Ground, Laxmi Vilas Palace, Sarkhej-Gandhinagar Highway to put up the dance that symbolize fertility, victory and happiness.

Mumbai, Maharashtra

As all Bengalis of Mumbai cannot revert home every year, now more than 100 ‘Sarbojonin’ or community Durga Puja is held in the city of Mumbai sprawling suburbs like Santa Cruz Vashi and Andheri. The most well known celebration of the divine mother is held at the Ramakrishna Mission, Khar. People accumulate here to get a glimpse of their famous Kumari Puja or relish the ‘khichdi bhog’. Other well acclaimed pujas in the Bollywood city are North Bombay Sarbojanin Durga, Bengal Club Puja, Air Force Colony Puja, Kallol Kali Temple Puja, Bengal Institute of Art & Culture Puja and Bandra Natunpally Durgotsav. Delectable Bengali food items like fish curry, ‘fish fry’, ‘luchi’, ‘kosha mangsho’, ‘rosogolla’ or ‘payesh’ are available in the temporary stalls around these pandals. In recent years one of the community puja that is gathering B-stars and hetting over hyped by the media is Lokhandwala Durga Puja in Andheri organized by Singer Abhijeet Bhattacharjya.

Katra, Jammu and Kashmir

A visit to the shrine of Mata Vaishno Deviji during Navaratri is considered most auspicious, where pilgrims seek blessings and continue the age old custom of worshipping the goddess as spiritual force. Jammu & Kashmir State Tourism Department hoists Navaratri Festival, an initiative for smooth celebration under severe security for the continuous nine days. Premises from Base Camp to Bhawan Complex, a total of 13km is illuminated and resonate the chant of ‘Jai Mata di’ all time of the day.

New Delhi

CR Park or the Mini Bengal in the Indian capital is the hub for Durga Puja for more than decades. The area hosts four important community pujas - Samity B Block Durga Puja, Samity K Block Co-operative Ground, Kali Mandir Society Puja and Mela Ground Durga Puja. However, no Bengali in Delhi misses the classical ‘Daaker Saaj’ idol of Delhi Durga Puja Samiti, being the oldest in town since 1910. The non Bengalis here celebrate Dussehra with much fanfare by burning effigy of Ravana at different venues. Nav Shri Dharmic Leela Committee, Shri Dharmic Leela Committee, Shri Ram Bharatiya Kala Kendra are some of the organizations that has earned fame for the most glamorous Dussehra celebration in Delhi.

Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh

Ram Leela, enactment of the Hindu epic Ramayana happens all across the city of Ramnagar with large spaces allotted as different locations for the drama. The audience watches the beautiful acting by veterans and moves to the next location of the drama all together. Sadhus descend from the hills and mountains to recite the Ramayana. With modern times, different communities do the same enactment yet; The Chitrakoot Ramleela of Varanasi is believed to maintain the traditions and customs.

Guwahati, Assam

Festive atmosphere spreads all across the state of Assam as they welcome Devi Durga. In the state, Guwahati is called the Dussehra capital for its more than 500 pandals with huge idols. Puja at Nayantara locality of Guwahati has received global media attention. This north eastern state becomes a hub for cheap Chinese goods like toys, balloons, toy pistols, cutlery sets, household decorative items and garments.

Dussehra, Jagdalpur, Bastar

Major tribes of Batsar accumulate in the ancient temple of Hindu goddess Danteshwari Devi to offer prayers. Stunning procession of the idol is held around the entire city during Dussehra where villagers and visitors accumulate to participate. The temple is not a spiritual centre but a huge museum that attracts tourists all through the year.