Every year, the city of Kolkata becomes a magnet for art lovers and cultural enthusiasts, drawing nearly three crore people to its extraordinarily crafted Durga Puja pandals. These temporary structures, which are only up for about five days, have evolved far beyond their traditional religious roots to become a significant cultural attraction that rivals some of the most notable art events globally.
In recent years, the Durga Puja pandals have captured the fascination of the international art community. This is largely due to the increasing involvement of contemporary artists who have taken the helm in conceptualizing, designing, and orchestrating these massive installations. Their creativity has expanded the traditional vernacular of pandal art, transforming it into an explosion of modern artistic expression, particularly noticeable after the COVID-19 pandemic.
As a newcomer to the pandal-hopping tradition, I recently joined an exclusive preview tour organized by an artist friend, Sayntan Maitra. This small group included art connoisseurs such as Lekha Poddar from the Devi Art Foundation, Saloni Doshi, founder of Space 118, artists Sakshi Gupta and Suhasini Kejriwal, and several diplomats. Over three enriching evenings, we explored intricately crafted pavilions, engaged with the artists and artisans behind these creative marvels, and even attended a private courtyard performance by itinerant puppeteers.
Historically, pandals began 300 years ago as community-driven efforts funded by local donations known as chanda. Originally intended to welcome goddess Durga during the festival of Navaratri, these pandals have always been both religious and cultural showcases. They have gradually evolved into platforms for artistic experimentation, often featuring subversive themes and bold ideas about activism, history, and traditional crafts. Today, with the advent of AI and new media technology, these pandals have reached unprecedented scales of artistic expression.
Kolkata boasts over 4,000 pandals, and some of these installations surpass anything exhibited at renowned art events like the Venice Biennale. Lekha Poddar emphasized this sentiment, stating that the Durga Puja pandals are superior to Documenta in Germany or other notable biennales. Each pandal uniquely uses sound, light, art, and performance to provide an immersive guide through the installations, often presenting themes that provoke contemplation.
While retaining their foundational religious roots, the art presented in these pandals remains distinctively secular and unparalleled. One of the standout installations of 2024 was created by artist Bhabatosh Sutar, addressing the perceived threats to the Constitution of India.
. This sprawling 15,000-square-foot installation featured black-and-white portraits with intricate details like razor blades in their mouths, set against banners proclaiming people’s rights. Visitors were led toward a towering 30-foot sculpture of an open book of the Constitution, a poignant reminder of the nation’s founding principles.
Another compelling artistic contribution came from Pradeep Das, who masterminded two striking pavilions. The first, “Sada aur Neel,” delved into the historical significance of muslin and indigo fabrics during the colonial period. Visitors traversed a tunnel adorned with artwork depicting the hardships faced by Indian farmers under British rule. This journey culminated in a grand arena housing a marble statue of Queen Victoria, surrounded by symbolic elements like British army costumes, a guillotine-like structure, and walls built from wooden shuttles, symbolizing the intricate weaving craft.
Das’s second pavilion, “Aranyak – The Unfolding Narrative,” portrayed the rich tapestry of life in the Sundarbans. Covering 1,850 square feet, it featured dramatic elements such as large mangrove roots, ceramic plates illustrating abstract delta concepts, and a detailed map platform containing sketches of regional flora and fauna.
Another notable artist, Susanta Shibani Paul, captured the spirit of the festival in visually arresting installations. His large-scale work “Void,” spanning 35,000 square feet, employed soulful Gregorian chants in Bengali, set within a Gothic-style metal interior. This installation used projected candle flames to create a hauntingly sacred atmosphere. Paul’s “Resonance,” measuring 9,800 square feet, was a sculptural marvel, leading visitors through an energy field of broken panels meant to reflect light, thereby invoking a sense of mystery and discovery.
Themes of climate change, environmental preservation, and women’s empowerment also emerged throughout the pandals. One pavilion, “Uddan,” designed by Aditi Chakravarty, highlighted the shared textile heritage of jamdani between India and Bangladesh, reflecting on the historical migrations during the Partition.
The Durga Puja pandals have thus evolved into a global artistic phenomenon, with UNESCO recognizing the festival as the world’s largest public art festival, transforming Kolkata into an expansive art gallery. This transformation not only underscores the dynamic fusion of cultural heritage and contemporary art but also marks Kolkata as a pivotal center for international art enthusiasts.
