Durga Puja in Siliguri
September or October (the five days ending on Vijaya Dashami)
Each neighbourhood committee builds a pandal of bamboo and cloth, often themed and lit with thousands of bulbs, around a clay image of Durga slaying the buffalo demon with her children beside her. The main days are Saptami, Ashtami and Navami, when crowds walk from pandal to pandal late into the night and food stalls sell rolls, phuchka and sweets.
On Vijaya Dashami married women smear vermilion on each other in sindur khela, and the images are carried to the Mahananda river for immersion. In the hills, the same day is the Dashain tika day for Nepali families, so the whole region is on holiday.
If you are passing through Siliguri at Puja time, an evening of pandal-hopping is worth it. Plan for heavy traffic and very busy trains and flights.
How to do it well
- Go after 8 pm when the lights are on, but expect large crowds and slow traffic
- Book trains and flights to NJP and Bagdogra well ahead; Puja holiday travel is heavy
- Wear comfortable shoes; pandal-hopping means a lot of walking
- Keep valuables close in crowds
Questions travellers ask
Good to know
When is Durga Puja in Siliguri?
Durga Puja follows the lunar calendar and usually falls between late September and late October. The main festival days are Shashthi to Vijaya Dashami, five days in all. Check the dates for your year. The busiest nights in Siliguri are Saptami, Ashtami and Navami, when most families go out to visit pandals until late.
Is Durga Puja a problem for travel to Darjeeling?
It can be. Puja holidays send many Bengali families to the hills, so trains to NJP, flights to Bagdogra, hotels and toy train seats sell out. Hill roads also see more traffic. If your dates are fixed, book six to eight weeks ahead. If they are flexible, travelling a week after Vijaya Dashami is calmer and the skies are still clear.
Where are the best pandals in Siliguri?
Large pandals are spread across the city, with many in neighbourhoods off Hill Cart Road, Sevoke Road and around Hakimpara and Subhash Pally. Themes and the most talked-about pandals change each year. Ask your hotel or a local driver which ones are drawing crowds that year, and hire a car for the evening rather than relying on autos.
What is sindur khela?
Sindur khela is a ritual on Vijaya Dashami when married women offer vermilion to the goddess before her immersion and then smear it on each other's faces and hair, wishing each other a long married life. It takes place at pandals before the images leave for the river. Visitors may watch, but ask before photographing anyone.