Pandals all around the city have welcomed throngs of excited early visitors as Kolkata prepares for its biggest festival and the five days of festivity it brings. The stakes are high after two years of virtual pandal-hopping and a cautious return to corporeal form in 2022. In order to bring Durga Puja back to the city in all of its glory in 2023, organizers and locals alike are making every effort.
This entails coming up with themes (for pandals) that are both visually appealing and socially significant. Before the epidemic, experiments with immersive designs were already underway, but this year, the city has really raised the bar. These pandals across the city merit a visit, from ones that double as replicas of Disneyland in Paris and Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to ISRO’s Vikram Lander. If you’re in Kolkata, you must check out the amazing Durga Puja pandals featuring replicas of the ISRO’s Vikram Lander, Hogwarts, and Paris Disneyland.
1. Sreebhumi Sporting Club Durga Puja 2023 Theme: Disneyland
Sreebhumi Sporting Club, located in the center of Lake Town, South Dumdum, is one of the best in the city when it comes to its extravagant Durga Puja themes. It constructed the iconic Burj Khalifa pandal in 2021, and the Vatican City in 2022. This year’s theme is Disneyland Paris, one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. The pandal, which was designed by Romeo and Sandip Hazra, has 11 pink, white, and lavender towers, two chariots, and ten Disney characters. Ronaldinho, a legend in Brazilian football, will open the pandal.
2. Sodepur Nabin Sangha, Theme: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry
Finally, the letter from Hogwarts has arrived. For this year’s Durga Puja, the Sodepur Nabin Sangha of the city themed their Durga Puja pandal like the renowned school of witchcraft and wizardry so that Harry Potter fans might experience the enchantment. The pandal includes every component of the made-up school, from the stately castle’s lofty peaks to the Hogwarts Express. The interior of the pandal is covered in installations and projections with Harry Potter themes. Decorated with a large Acromantula and characters dressed in classic Hogwarts robes capturing attention.
3. Pallir Yubak Brinda Club, Theme: Vikram Lander (ISRO’s achievement with Chandrayaan-3)
With ISRO’s Chandrayaan-3 mission, India made history on August 23 by becoming the first country to land a spacecraft close to the south pole of the moon. The Pallir Yubak Brinda Club is situated at the intersection of Sitaram Ghosh Street. At Nabin Chandra Paul Lane, and Beniatola Lane in Central Kolkata. They have recreated India’s successful moon mission under the theme “Chandralok-e Uma” (Goddess Durga on the Moon) to commemorate this momentous occasion.
4. Belgharia 17 Pally, Durga Puja 2023 Theme: Egyptian Pyramids
The Belgharia 17 Pally has developed a novel motif for this Durga Puja. A pandal inspired by the ancient Egyptian pyramids. The pandal supposedly consists of four pyramids placed on white sand, each with carvings and hieroglyphs on the walls. Camel and mummy statues on the exterior. Want to visit Giza?
5. Pathuriaghata Pancher Pally, Theme: Menstrual Hygiene
Numerous Durga Puja pandals in Kolkata include themes that draw attention to societal concerns. Pathuriaghata Pancher Pally in Santoshpur this year examines a significant societal taboo: menstruation hygiene. ‘Ritumati’ has been chosen as the topic with the intention of challenging the (still) pervasive stigma associated with menstruation. With the help of an immersive installation of paintings, models, and graphics centered on the theme, the pandal will make its argument obvious.
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