Durga Puja: Kolkata's Grandest Festival

Kathmandu → Kolkata

Highlights

• Immerse yourself in Kolkata's Durga Puja — five days of art, devotion, and community that transforms the city into the world's largest open-air gallery.
• Festival Tour · 6 Days
• Small group, guide-led

Day-by-day itinerary

1. D1

   Mahalaya & Shashthi

   Arrive on Mahalaya, the dawn invocation that officially begins the festive season. Visit Kumartuli, the potters' quarter, to see artisans giving final touches to clay idols. On Shashthi, witness the Bodhon ritual — the unveiling of the goddess's face and her awakening into the pandal.

   Kolkata As per plan

2. D2

   Saptami: Pandal Hopping Begins

   The first full day of celebration. Your guide takes you on a curated pandal tour — from traditional bamboo-and-cloth structures in north Kolkata to avant-garde art installations in the south. Each pandal tells a story: some recreate ancient Bengali villages, others address climate change or refugee crises through art. Evening dhak drum performance and aarti.

   Kolkata As per plan

3. D3

   Ashtami: The Sacred Heart

   The most important day. Early morning pushpanjali — offering flowers to the goddess with collective chanting of mantras. Visit the historic Bonedi Bari (aristocratic family) pujas where rituals remain unchanged for 300 years. Evening sandhi puja, the precise moment when Durga transformed into Chamunda to slay the demons — the most electrically charged ritual of the festival.

   Kolkata As per plan

4. D4

   Navami: Feast & Finale

   The day of community feasts (bhog) — eat from the goddess's kitchen: khichuri, labra, chutney, and payesh. Visit the Kumari Puja where a young girl is worshipped as the living goddess. Evening visit to the immersion ghats to see the first idols departing on bamboo frameworks, accompanied by drums and dancing.

   Kolkata As per plan

5. D5

   Dashami: Immersion & Bijoya

   The final day. Join a procession to the Hooghly River for the idol immersion (bishorjon) — a heartbreakingly beautiful ritual of farewell as the goddess returns to her Himalayan home. Participate in Bijoya — exchanging sweets and embraces with strangers who have become family over five days. Evening adda (Bengali intellectual gathering) with local artists and writers.

   Kolkata As per plan

6. D6

   Colonial Kolkata & Departure

   Morning walk through the colonial heritage of Dalhousie Square — the Writers' Building, St. John's Church, and the Indian Museum. Final Bengali sweet feast at KC Das (inventors of the rosogolla). Departure from Kolkata airport.

   Kolkata As per plan

Price includes

• Local storyteller guide
• Stays as per itinerary
• Daily breakfast
• All ground transfers

Make it yours (upsells)

Everything apart from the trip itself is an upsell — tick what you want.