BENGAL’S DURGA PUJA SEASON OPENS WITH A GRAND EDEN SPECTACLE AS SUVENDU ADHIKARI CHAMPIONS RELIGIOUS TRADITION
October 11, 2026
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari inaugurated the state’s 2026 Durga Puja celebrations on Mahalaya with a colourful procession along Kolkata’s Red Road followed by a large-scale cultural carnival at Eden Gardens, combining traditional Bengali performances with drone displays, laser effects and music. The celebrations also marked the government’s emphasis on religious observances and its announcement that 12,400 additional Durga Puja celebrations had been added across the state this year.
Addressing the gathering at Eden Gardens, Adhikari said Bengal had hosted approximately 45,000 Durga Puja celebrations in 2025. He presented the expansion as evidence of the growing reach of the festival and said the state government wanted celebrations to respect the religious significance of the occasion. He emphasised that festivities should begin during Devi Paksha rather than Pitri Paksha, the period traditionally devoted to honouring ancestors.
Adhikari also announced that the immersion of Durga idols must be completed by October 24. His remarks reflected the government’s intention to organise the festival calendar around the prescribed religious observances while promoting the cultural significance of Bengal’s most prominent annual celebration.
The Red Road procession showcased traditional art forms from different parts of Bengal. Cultural groups performed Chhau dance, Baul music and Bhawaiya folk songs, transforming the stretch between the Public Works Department tent and the eastern gate of Fort William into a vivid display of regional traditions. The event was designed to bring the cultural diversity of the state’s districts into a single public celebration.
At Eden Gardens, the programme featured an elaborate combination of traditional music and modern visual effects. Around 3,000 dhakis performed alongside conch-shell blowers, while ululation and a presentation of Mahishasuramardini added to the festive atmosphere. A drone display formed Durga Puja-themed patterns in the night sky, accompanied by elaborate lighting and laser effects.
Music director Shantanu Moitra and singers Shaan, Antara Mitra and Kaushiki Chakraborty were among the performers. Visitors described the programme as a departure from the stadium’s usual association with cricket, with the combination of traditional performances and modern technology providing a distinctive setting for the opening of the Puja season.
Earlier in the morning, Birendra Krishna Bhadra’s celebrated Mahishasuramardini recital was broadcast through loudspeakers at major ghats along the Hooghly. The familiar programme, traditionally associated with Mahalaya, helped establish the devotional atmosphere surrounding the beginning of Devi Paksha.
The chief minister also addressed the government’s financial support for Puja organisers. The state had announced a grant of ₹1 lakh for eligible committees, with payments scheduled to begin on Sunday. Adhikari said the government had appealed to large, financially self-sufficient Puja committees to forgo the assistance so that resources could be directed towards smaller celebrations, particularly those in rural areas.
According to the chief minister, more than 200 Puja committees in Kolkata had responded positively to the appeal and requested that the money be provided to village organisers instead. He also said Puja committees had been given a full rebate on electricity bills, adding another form of assistance to the government’s festive support programme.
Adhikari used the occasion to articulate the political and ideological priorities of his administration. He described the government as one that respected Sanatani traditions and called for the strength to defeat what he termed “anti-India forces”. He also expressed the ambition of building a developed India by 2047 under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership.
Governor R. N. Ravi, who also addressed the gathering, linked Bengal’s historical decline to the influence of leaders who did not believe in Goddess Durga. He recalled the state’s earlier prominence in financial, intellectual and spiritual life, as well as its contribution to India’s freedom struggle, before arguing that Bengal had subsequently lost ground. He described the present period as a new beginning and expressed hope that devotion to Goddess Durga would inspire the creation of a prosperous Bengal.
The opening carnival represents a significant shift in the format of the state’s official Puja celebrations, placing the principal spectacle at Eden Gardens on Mahalaya and preceding it with a procession on Red Road. By combining public cultural performances, religious symbolism, government grants and large-scale entertainment, the event has established an ambitious opening to Bengal’s 2026 Durga Puja season.
With thousands of performers, new Puja committees and financial assistance for organisers, the government has presented the celebrations as both a tribute to Bengali cultural traditions and an opportunity to expand the festival’s reach across the state. The coming weeks will see communities prepare for the festival, with the authorities seeking to balance large public celebrations with religious observances and the completion of idol immersions by the announced deadline.
