What to do when you are in Kolkatta??

Durgotsav is the best time to visit Kolkata for a weekend getaway. With not much of sightseeing or staying experience, plan your trip for 3 to 4 days to this city of Ganges.

Without much ado, lets pen down things to do while you are in Kolkata for the Durga Puja:

Pandal Hopping

The Pandals will transport you to a different world. Most of the clubs have their own pandals each beating the other in terms of theme, décor and concept.

The favourite Game of Thrones (friends club, behala) and Chetla (Behala) are my favourites. But others were no less. Shree Bhumi Club had built in a 10 crore Pujo with Bahubali kingdom – Mahishmati as its theme and it is a sight to behold.

Though it sounds fun, it isn’t if you land unplanned like me. You won’t register the name due to a different accent used by Bengalis when they say names. If you don’t have a local guide / friend, keep the list of Pandals / Pujos (listing provided at the end) handy so that you can atleast take a rickshaw and bus.

Every Pandal will overflow with loads of creativity and art that Kolkata has.

Tips :

1. Save on travel cost by catching buses and metro. Olas and Ubers are expensive. Else book a taxi for an entire day or night and ride on;
2. Start your day early say at around 3 a.m. Trust me on this, in the evening its crazy and the humid weather zaps the energy. The evening queue can be as long as 3 to 4 hours;
3. Early in the morning pandal visits can be as short as 10 minutes and you don’t miss the lightings also;
4. Pandals do issue VIP passes. Figure out before you start travelling by either checking with your hotels or any localites. If you are travelling early in the morning you don’t need VIP passes. But if you still want to travel in the evening then VIP pass is a savior.
5. Most of the pandals are nearby so you go to one place and cover all the pandals back to back. The listing of pandals are as per their proximity and location wise.

Sindoor Khela and Dunochi

Both these you will be able to witness on Dashami i.e. the tenth day.

Though it is a festival for married females seeking blessing from goddess for long life of her husband. Males and unmarried females also play sindoor khela – afterall its mothers Prasad. Go to Bagbazaar and witness the biggest Sindoor Khela and stunning females adorned in finest clothes and jewellery. Stand there and click random clicks….. people are happy posing for you and you also can come back with sindoor smeared all over your face.

There is dhunochi played for an hour only on Dassehra. Every Pujo plays on different days and timings. Check with Bagbazaar administrators and Chetla Club for timings.

Visarjan

This also happens on Dashami i.e. Dassehra. Go to Babu Ghat for witnessing the visarjan (or drowning of the idol of goddess). Babu ghat is very famous and crowded. You can go to Bagbazaar Ghat which is small but offers the same experience. Though it not a good sight to see, such beautiful idols being thrown mercilessly and later broken part by part. Every good thing has to come to an end.

Big Pujos don’t do visarjan on Dashami. They stay for additional two or three days. In case you missed some pandals, you can still catch up. It is the traditional families that go for Visarjan on Dashami. Some families have history of 100 years of having Durga pujo at home.

Sight Seeing

Too much for a weekend. But while you are still in kolkata you should not miss few places. You can do these places while on your Pandal hopping is going on:

Bellur math

Route : take a bus to Howrah and then switch to bus for Bellur math. There are no direct buses. Or take a Ola / uber if its confusing.

After pandal hopping a bit of peace and tranquility must prevail to keep your sanity alive. Dedicated to Swami ramkrishna, every bit of the place is peaceful and serene. Just sit and enjoy the stillness.

They are closed for one hour in the afternoon, so plan your trip accordingly.

Dhakineswar:

Route : Direct boat service from bellurmath. Ola / uber also scout by.

Once you are done with bellurmath, take a ferry ride to Dhakineshwar temple. You can also do Ola / uber but nothing beats the boat ride and the peaceful Ganges. Dhakineswar temple is renowned temple built by rani rasmati. She was not permitted in Kali temple at Kalighat due to her caste. It is said that goddess came in her dreams and asked her to build a temple and she will come and reside in there. Rani rasmati being spiritual lady dedicated all her wealth and built the temple. While speaking with people I realized that the built and colour of the temple has been the same since ancestral time. During Navratris there will be rush so start your trip early.

At the corner of the temple, a must visit is the room where swami ramkrishna stayed and meditated.  You will realize that most of the Bengal scholars were followers of swami ramkrishna and spiritually awakened with this guidance and could change the history.

Kalighat temple

Route : take a metro to Kalighat. Very closeby to metro station. You can cover most of South Kolkata Pandalsfrom here.

It is one of the 51 shaktipeethas with mother Satis tongue falling in this place. Beware of the priests and the VIP passes and direct entries. It is crowded in the Navratri but visit early in the morning and don’t go overboard with the Priests, they are fooling around seeking donations in the name of luck from goddess as large as 22K. If you wish to donate, do it directly with the temple trust and get a proper receipt.

Victoria Memorial

Route : Nearby Park circus, take a cab or rickshaw

This is one of my favourite place. The built and archeology will not fail to amaze you.  Visit both museum and park while you are there to learn the journey of East India Company while they landed in India.

(Note: the park / museum is closed on Mondays and national holidays [Dussehra is a holiday]. Plan accordingly)

St. Pauls Cathedral

Route : you can see the cathedral from Victoria Memorial. So start walking

The cathedral was built around 1847. Though the painting is worn off, it is sight to see. If possible attend a mass, and gospels sung will bring peace to your heart.

Indian Museum

Route : Nearby Park circus, take a cab or rickshaw

Even if you are not a fan of history, visit the Indian Museum because you are in Kolkata. Flip through uninteresting portion and read through the interesting areas. So much we don’t know, is when you see the world full of knowledge.

Note: its closed on Mondays and national holiday (Dussehra is a holiday)

Mothers House

(Route : take a bus just across St.Pauls Cathedral )

A must visit if you are in Kolkata. You get a glimpse of what Mother Theresa was all about and also see her room and her journey from Albania to her spiritual calling as Sister and later as Mother Theresa.

You can still feel her positivity.

Wear a good comfy shoes, carry umbrella and start trotting around. Enjoy the street food, if you are not conscious like me. Kolkata is bright and sunny through the day and night. You are greeted at every nook and corner with Happy Pujo.

Enjoy the Pujo while in Kolkata!!!!!

List of interesting Pandals:

South Kolkata [ club it with Kalighat Visit]

1. Hindustan Park Sarbojonin
2. Bakulbagan
3. Abashar (bhawanipore)
4. Kalighat Milan Sangha
5. Shibmandir
6. Mudiali Club
7. Chetla

Central Kolkata  [club it with Bellurmath trip]

1. Golabari Ghasbagan
2. Ali Park
3. College Square Puja

North Kolkata [club it with Bellurmath trip]1.

1. Ahiritola
2. Kumartuli Park Sabojonin
3. Hatibagan Durgotsav
4. Shobhabazr Rajbari (it is house of zamindars, open for public)
5. Bagbazaar
6. Nalin sarkar street
7. Kashif bose lane

East Kolkata

1. Sreebhumi (laketown)
2. AE block and F block, part 1, salt lake
3. Dum Dum Tarun Dal
4. Dum Dum bharat chakra
5. Dum Dum Tarun Sangha

West Kolkata

1. Alipur Sarbojonin Durgotsav
2. Behala Friend
3. Behala Natun Dal
4. Barishtha Club
5. SB Park Durgotsav