Gurgaon, get ready for pandal hopping

When the beats of the dhak, the aromas of mouth-watering foods, and the sounds of Bengali music fill the air, it can mean only one thing – the Durga Puja festivities are underway. With many committees content with hosting their pujas in community centres and convention halls, we take a look at the various puja pandals across the Millennium City and the themes they have to offer

Sahasrabdi Durga Puja, South City 1
The puja at Sahasrabdi Durga Puja, South City 1, is recreating how the festival is celebrated in the villages of Bengal with artwork and paintings prevalent in rural West Bengal adorning the walls and pillars of the pandal. Hundreds of umbrellas have been fixed to the ceiling of the pandal to signify the importance of monsoon in rural Bengal.




Bangiya Parishad, Sector 56
The theme for Bangiya Parishad’s pandal is conch shells (shankh) with a giant 10-feet conch shell erected right at the entrance of the pandal. The pandal itself has been built to resemble a traditional temple of Bengal. It will host a world record attempt for most number of people blowing conch shells at the same time during the Ashtami puja today.



Purbapalli Durgabari, Sector 15
The Durga Puja pandal at Purbapalli Durgabari, Sector 15, has attempted to recreate a rajbari, the old Bengali houses of nobility and aristocracy. The puja will also host a dance drama based on the theme of the rivers of India.