North Kolkata pulses with tradition, history, and artistic excellence during Durga Puja. In 2025, its iconic pandals once again offered a mesmerizing fusion of heritage themes, cultural storytelling, and community fervor. Here’s a 1,200‑word journey through the most celebrated North Kolkata pujas—highlighting their themes, artistry, rituals, and cultural impact.
Baghbazar Sarbojanin: Legacy in Tradition
As one of the oldest sarbojanin pujas in Kolkata, Baghbazar Sarbojanin stands as a symbol of unchanging tradition. Celebrating over a century of continuity, their annual ekchala pratima—unchanged in design and ritual—has earned them reverence across generations.
2025 saw Baghbazar continue its understated elegance: a simple yet spiritually intense setting, rich in ritual purity. The traditional Dhunuchi naach, classical Pushpanjali, and consistent presence of authentic ekchala idol made it a spiritual anchor amid the festival’s energy.
Kumartuli Park Sarbojanin: Artistry in Clay
Nestled in the heart of Kumartuli artisans’ hub, Kumartuli Park is where you glimpse the purest form of idol‑making. In 2025, this pandal celebrated the craft itself—honouring the sculptors whose hands breathe life into clay. The theme, a celebration of traditional craftsmanship, invited visitors inside the creative process, with live image‑making and transparent idol framing.
This puja reaffirmed that Durga’s iconography is an evolving art form, rooted in heritage yet always reinterpreted through modern sensibilities.
Ahiritola Sarbojanin: Culture, Music & Legacy
Ahiritola Sarbojanin fused tradition with cultural flair. In 2025, the theme revolved around Shakespearean narratives, presenting 37 short plays on multiple screens—an ambitious blend of Bengali Puja with global literature.
This year, the ghat‑side ambience of Ahiritola and the echoes of intellectual discourse captured the essence of durga puja as public theatre, familiar and literary at once.
️ Sovabazar Rajbari Puja: Royal Heritage Revisited
At Sovabazar Rajbari, royalty and ritual remain inseparable. As one of North Kolkata’s oldest family pujas, it reflects vintage grandeur and royal patronage in every ritual. In 2025, the pandal was decorated with period architecture, chandeliers, and period‑styled decorations—recalling a bygone era of heritage festivities.
The dignity of traditions like Sindoor Khela and Rajbari arati evoked nostalgia and historical continuity.
Shyampukur Sarbojonin: Folk Symbols & Childhood Nostalgia
Shyampukur Sarbojanin captured hearts with its playful theme: childhood memories embodied through dolls, kites, and film projectors, creating a nostalgic puja lane that evoked local neighbourhood life and folk traditions.
The ordinary became extraordinary: school‑yard scenes, kids flying kites under the Goddess’s gaze—an emotional link to communal memories.
Dum Dum Park Pandals: Vibrant Themes & Community Spirit
Located just beyond central North Kolkata, Dum Dum Park pandals in 2025 were known for vibrant 
social themes, folk performances, and lively community bazaars. The Tarun Sangha and Sarbojanin pujas both focused on art and upliftment, their decorations reflecting daily life themes executed with bold colors and traditional performances.
Nalin Sarkar Street: Pottery & Purpose
Nalin Sarkar Street Puja stood out with its pottery‑inspired clay idol in 2024. In 2025, it remained a creative beacon, merging heritage craft with contemporary installation art, reinforcing the role of local artisans in preserving cultural identity.
Though not awarded the Sharad Shamman, its artistic sensitivity was widely appreciated.
Key Themes & Experiences
Across North Kolkata in 2025, several power keywords emerged:
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Tradition, heritage, and continuity: Baghbazar & Sovabazar preserved age‑old rituals.
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Craftsmanship, pottery, and idol‑making: Kumartuli & Nalin Sarkar celebrated the artisans.
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Public culture, literary homage, and intellectual celebration: Ahiritola.
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Nostalgia, childhood, and community memories: Shyampukur and older neighbourhoods.
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Social upliftment, folk performance, and inclusive themes: Dum Dum Park committees.
Rituals: Sacred Core of Puja
North Kolkata pujas uphold rituals with devout precision. From Bodhon to Pushpanjali, from the Sandhi fire puja to Vijaya Dashami immersion, the cadence of dhak beats, conch shell sounds, and bel wheels unite visitors in prayer and celebration.
Certain venues like Ahiritola and Sovabazar also showcased traditional dance recitals, Rabindra Sangeet evenings, and classical conch‑chant performances, bridging past and present in devotional practice.
Cultural & Community Outreach
While aesthetic excellence drew crowds, many North Kolkata puja committees also pursued social responsibility in 2025:
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Health awareness camps, road safety drives, and wage support for sanitation workers were funded thanks to increased government grants.
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Migrant support initiatives and women empowerment workshops were organized parallel to puja celebrations.
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Inter‑pandal tours, or “pujo parlkrama,” allowed visitors to experience a variety of themes, music, food, and community programs across pandals.
Visual Splendors: A Photographer’s Delight
North Kolkata’s narrow lanes and heritage buildings provided dramatic backdrops for 2025’s festival:
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Baghbazar fairs in warm tungsten hues
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Kumartuli Park’s clay‑idol close‑ups
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Ahiritola’s screen displays against heritage façades
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Shyampukur kite motifs under traditional lamp‑lit lanes
Photography contests captured these scenes and some images earned recognition at global platforms like the Sony World Photography Awards.
Awards & Recognition
Several North Kolkata pujas were contenders for the Asian Paints Sharad Shamman Award, Kolkata’s most prestigious prize for thematic and aesthetic innovation. Baghbazar remained a perennial nominee for its unbroken legacy, while Kumartuli, Ahiritola, and even Nalin Sarkar Street were noted for creative artistry.
✅ Visiting Tips: Planning Your North Kolkata Puja Route
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Plan your itinerary: Start early at Baghbazar, move to Kumartuli Park, then Ahiritola, and cap the day at Sovabazar or Shyampukur.
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Wear comfortable footwear and dress modestly.
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Stay hydrated, especially while crossing between crowded lanes.
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Follow Covid‑safety and crowd guidelines, many pujas implemented crowd control with state grants.
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Savour street food: blackish puchka, mughlai paratha near Baghbazar, and khichuri near Kumartuli.
Final Thoughts: North Kolkata’s Durga Puja 2025
Durga Puja in North Kolkata in 2025 was less about fleeting spectacle and more about rooted tradition, artistic mastery, and community values. Each pandal—whether Baghbazar’s heritage simplicity, Kumartuli’s artisan pride, Ahiritola’s literary ambition, or Shyampukur’s childhood nostalgia—offered a unique lens into Kolkata’s soul.
As the dhak dimmed on Vijayadashami, the legacy of these pujas remained clear: Durga Puja is not only a festival—it is the collective memory, creativity, and devotion of a city.
So, to visitors and devotees alike: let the divine aura of North Kolkata Durga Puja 2025 linger in your hearts long after the idols have submerged.
