Pandal hopping means walking from one puja to the next, often all night, with friends or family. Everyone does it, and nobody does it the same way twice. If it is your first time, a little planning makes the difference between a magical night and a sore-footed one spent in queues.
Pick your nights and your hours
Crowds build from Panchami, and Saptami, Ashtami and Nabami nights are the busiest of all. Many big pujas now open their pandals a few days before Shashthi, and these early visits are far calmer. On the main days, afternoons are easier than evenings, and the small hours after 2 am can be surprisingly pleasant at some pandals. If you can only go once, choose an afternoon that runs into the evening, so you see the pandals in daylight and then lit up.
Go one neighbourhood at a time
The pandals worth seeing cluster together, and walking between them is the best part. Pick one area per outing rather than crossing the city. North Kolkata has the old traditions: Bagbazar, Kumartuli, Ahiritola and the bonedi bari pujas. Central Kolkata has College Square, Santosh Mitra Square and Mohammad Ali Park. South Kolkata is known for its theme pujas, from Ekdalia, Singhi Park and Hindustan Park to Chetla and Suruchi Sangha. East, there is Sreebhumi, Lake Town and the Salt Lake blocks.
Puja Parikrama’s walking routes group pandals that sit close together, and the planner builds a route for the time you have.
Getting around
In the evenings, roads near the famous pandals close to cars and turn into one-way walking routes. The metro is the quickest way between neighbourhoods, and it usually runs later than normal during the Puja; check the official announcements for this year’s timings. Taxis and app cabs get scarce and expensive late at night. Plan to walk more than you expect.
What to carry
- Comfortable shoes. You may walk ten kilometres in a night.
- Water, and some cash in small notes for food stalls.
- A charged phone and a power bank.
- Something light for the rain. October showers are common.
- Keep your phone and wallet in front pockets or a zipped bag. Crowds are dense.
Queues and crowds
The most famous pandals can have queues of an hour or more at peak times. Follow the volunteers’ routes; they are there to keep the crowd moving safely. If you are in a group, agree on a meeting point before you go in, and with children, slip a note with your phone number into their pocket. Puja Parikrama’s groups let friends see each other on the map, which helps when someone drifts away in the crowd.
Eat your way round
Part of the fun is the food. Outside the pandals you will find rolls, phuchka, mughlai paratha, fish fry and biryani, and many pujas serve bhog, the goddess’s offering, often khichuri, to visitors at lunchtime. Eat early in the evening; the stalls near the biggest pandals get very busy after dark.
Remember it is a puja
Every pandal is also a place of worship. Take off your shoes if asked before stepping into the mandap, do not climb barriers or decorations, keep the aisles clear, and ask before photographing people, especially during a ritual. A smile and a little patience go a long way in a crowd of thousands.