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Durga Puja and Delhi’s pandals start having mini festivals of their own, blending art, food, rituals and revelry. Whether you want to experience the grandeur of CR Park or dive into nostalgia at Kashmere Gate, here’s your step-by-step guide for a smooth pandal-hopping experience this season.
Start at CR Park – Delhi’s ‘Mini Kolkata’All roads lead to Chittaranjan Park during pujo. Take the Violet Line Metro to Nehru Place, hop into an auto, and dive straight into the merriment. Start your trail at the Kali Mandir Society. Then visit the other pandals in CR Park and GK. Some suggestions are:
- Mela Ground
- B-Block
- Cooperative Ground, K-Block
- Pocket 40, Pocket 52
- Durgotsab GK 2
- Durga Bari Mandir, GK 1
- Dakkhinayan, M-Block, GK 2
If you’re visiting with friends, make it an immersive experience, try to guess the theme of pandals, sway to the beats of the dhaak, and watch the dhunuchi naach
Dressing up, having pujor bhog, walking through the lit streets, pandal hopping, and ending with good food – that’s the full CR Park pujo experience. Shashti is the best time to visit as it’s less crowded
Ayushi, a researcher at No Footprints Delhi & also a CR Park resident
"The Bengali community didn’t start its journey of settling down and being prominent enough to have their first pujos in CR Park. It began at places like Kashmere Gate, Timarpur and post-1947 in areas like Mandir Marg, Karol Bagh and Minto Road," shares Ramit Mitra, Chief Explorer, DelhiByFoot Adventures. While CR Park and GK remain the hub of pujo in NCR, don’t miss these other Durga Puja pandals:
- Kashmere Gate Durga Puja
- Matri Mandir Samity, Safdarjung Enclave
- Kalibari, Mayur Vihar Phase-1
- Arambagh Durga Puja Samiti
- Minto Road Kali Bari Puja
- Karol Bagh WEA Puja
What and where to eat pujo favesPujo trails are incomplete without snack hopping. “Try the mochar chop, bhetki cutlet, and veg chops with kasundi. As you move from one pandal to another, grab a quick bite of ghugni or jhalmuri. For mains, tuck into luchi and kosha mangsho or biryani at the pandals. Also relish the traditional bhog served during the day,” says Ayushi, a researcher at No Footprints Delhi, who curated a pandal-hopping walk recently.
Pujo trails are incomplete without snack hopping
- Markets 1 and 2, CR Park: Your go-to stops for jhalmuri, ghugni, churmur, and Kolkata-style biryani. Market 2 is best for chops and puchka while pandal hopping
- Bhog specials: Most pandals serve free or nominally priced bhog, which comprises khichuri, labra, chutney, payesh and bhaja
- Street favourites: Bengali kathi rolls, fish fry, and mishti are everywhere – you’ll never be far from a plate of Mughlai paratha, puchka or sandesh
Making the festive experience accessible To make Durga Puja accessible for everyone, UNESCO has released a Standard Operating Procedure, developed by IIT Kharagpur, in Kolkata. Svayam, an NGO, is making the Pandara Road Durga Puja pandal accessible, with practical accessibility measures such as temporary ramps, safe pathways, resting spaces, accessible toilets in place
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