2022
No doubt Kolkata is called the city of joy. It is a city with a soul. The soul that never sleeps and not only celebrate the festivals but also celebrate themselves.
Kolkata during Durga Pujo(as Bengalis will say) is an extreme delight. I had the opportunity to visit Kolkata during the Pujo in 2018. The atmosphere during the Pujo is full of energy and excitement.
If you are not a localite, going during Durga Pujo might seems challenging to you but if you really want to experience the city, you must visit it during the festivities. I visited Kolkata for 4 days and the experience was enriching. I took a flight from Delhi to Kolkata. The flight took almost 2.5 hours. If you plan to travel during Durga Pujo and have less days, I will recommend to go on Saptmi(7th day of Navratri). Saptmi, Ashtami and Navmi are the main days for Bengalis during the Pujo. The 10th day i.e Dusshera is the day when immersion of the idols take place.
I stayed at Gala time hostel in Patuli area. The hostel was good providing the basic amenities. The area was in the outskirts of the city. More stay options are available at Park Street(mostly foreigners go for this place). I landed in Kolkata on 17th October,2018. I took a bus to Patuli. The transport system in Kolkata is really good especially the AC buses. If you want to curtail your expenses travel by the local buses or metro. They are cheap and quite comfortable. Cabs are quite expensive as compared to NCR regions.
The journey began with Pandal hopping. I arrived at my hostel around 22:00 hours and started the ritual of Pandal hopping. During the Pujo every street is lit up. You will not find darkness anywhere. The Pandals are open for the whole night with a neverending crowd. I visited the nearby Pandals. There were around Pandals near my area and each one of them was beautifully decorated. Once you get out on the streets you will feel the energy and excitement of people.
Pandal hopping is incomplete without the street food that Kolkata has to offer. The street food includes puchke(for only Rs.10), rolls, noodles, papdi chaat, gola(snowflake) and many others. The food is tasty as well as cheap.
The mornings in Kolkata are quite. There are quite few souls on the roads. In the morning I planned to visit other places of interest in Kolkata.I took a bus from to Victoria Memorial. The only place in Kolkata where you will find n number of foreigners. It has a beautiful architecture. It was built during the British era. The tickets are quite cheap. It is advisable to go in the evening on a hot day.
After mesmerising the beauty of Victoria Memorial I made my way to Burrabazar. It is a crowded place. It is a wholesale market, that has various items like stationary, medicine,electronic goods and many others. The market is always crowded. In the midst of the market lies the Nakhoda Masjid. It is one of the largest and prime mosques of Kolkata.
The next visit was to Prinsep Ghat. It looks beautiful during sunset. There are many eateries around the ghat. Boat rides are also available which are very costly. I booked a boat for Rs.300(after bargaining). The boat gives a ride for half an hour around the Vidyasgar Setu.
At night I went for some more Pandal hopping. At night each street in Kolkata is heavily crowded. There is a huge rush for the pandals especially the famous ones. I visited the pandals at Ahiritola, Hatkhola,Kumartuli,Sovabajar,Mohammad Ali Park. The waiting time is around 1 hour during night. Each pandal was beautifully decorated. If you plan to visit the pandals during night buy a metro ticket to save yourself from the traffic.
The other day I visited Dakshineshwar Temple. It is quite far from the city located near the sacred Ganges. The route to the temple is beautiful. It is surrounded by lush green forest. Try going to the temple during early morning to save your time.
The other place I visited was Belur Math. It is connected to Dakshineswar through a ferry. The ticket costs around Rs.11 for one side. It is located on the west bank of Hooghly river. It is the headquarter of Ramkrishna Mission. The serenity of the place attracts people.
Dussehra is bit more different in Kolkata as from the North India. In Kolkata it is the last day of Durga Pujo. All the idols are immersed in the river and it marks the end of Durga Pujo. The roads are filled with people dancing. You can see vehicles carrying the idols of Durga. Babughat is the place to go for seeing this vast celebration coming to an end. The ghat is filled with people carrying the Durga idol and immersing it in the Hooghly river. You can feel the happiness and excitement in the people. Walking on the roads will give you goosebumps.
Trip to Kolkata is incomplete without the Bengali Sweets. I had the privilige to taste some of them like:kher khodom,rohogulla,mishti doi,darbesh and many others.
No doubt Kolkata is called the city with a soul.
