The arrival of Durga puja brings its own familiar festive excitement — the anticipation of visiting pandals, offering prayers to Goddess Durga, sharing bhog and immersing oneself in the sights and sounds of the celebrations. In Hyderabad, the festival has grown into a vibrant expression of Bengal’s cultural heritage, bringing together people from different communities to celebrate its traditions and artistry. As the city celebrates another year of festivities, its pandals are finding different ways to honour the goddess, preserve cultural roots and create memorable experiences for visitors.
Architectural ode to Kailasa
Imagine walking into a temple that appears to have been chiselled out of rock, making you enter a cave-like chamber leading straight towards the deity. At Bani Sangha Alwal, this vision comes alive through its pandal, inspired by Maharashtra’s iconic Kailasa Temple. The pandal beautifully brings together rock-cut architecture, natural elements and spiritual symbolism.
Ashish Bose, general secretary of Bani Sangha Alwal, begins, “The Kailasa Temple has a monolithic rock-cut structure, built using a top-down approach. It is this distinctive architectural style that inspired our theme.”
However, the pandal goes beyond just recreating the temple.
“We have also incorporated several other elements. As you head towards the godesses’ chamber, you witness a statuary of nandi facing the shivling,” he adds.The chamber further incorporates a different architectural vocabulary, with elements reminiscent of Greek structures and earthy textures.
Rather than the size of the idol, the focus, he highlights, is on the artistic presentation of the idols.
“We do not believe in having a tall idol. Our focus is on creating something distinctive and natural. The idol is about 8-ft-tall. What matters to us is how beautifully it is designed, how the face and eyes turn out, and how the entire theme is reflected in the depiction of the goddess. We focus on the detailing rather than making the idol bigger,” shares Ashish.
Artisans from Kolkata have worked on the pandal, continuing the organisation’s tradition of drawing inspiration from distinctive architectural landmarks. “We have also retained the eco-friendly approach, using reusable materials that can withstand exposure to water and sunlight,” he notes, adding,“People would naturally be curious to visit a temple like Swarnagiri, with its golden architecture, which was our theme last year. Compared with a conventional Durga puja pandal, a thematic one offers visitors a different experience altogether. People wish to see how different elements come together and spend quality time exploring the space.”
While, cultural events have been one of their major attraction, the team does provide a taste of the traditional bhog, ‘dhunuchi nritya’ and other traditional rituals as a part of its celebrations.
Golden threads of tradition
Sur-o-dhwani Foundation remains committed to the timeless appeal of traditional Durga puja. Its celebrations at Gachibowli Stadium feature an approximately eighteen-ft-tall golden idol of Goddess Durga in the ekchala form.
Sujit Kumar Chakraborty, chairman and president of the foundation , says, “We believe in promoting Indian traditions and culture, and so, we don’t change the theme. Instead, we celebrate Durga puja in its traditional form, with the goddess and her family depicted together in a single frame, as seen in the old Durga pujas of Kolkata.”
Established in September 2019, the foundation works towards social welfare through initiatives such as annadanam and vidyaadaanam.
He further points to the traditional idols seen in Kolkata’s Baghbazar and Rajabazar as examples.
“Many people prefer this kind of idol because they can relate to the traditional form of Durga, similar to how it’s been worshipped for generations in Kolkata,” he explains.
The foundation also places particular emphasis on Kumari puja, a ritual that honours the divine feminine through the worship of a young girl. Food stalls and cultural programmes featuring artists from Kolkata and other parts of the country add to the celebrations.
The foundation also continues its pet-friendly initiative, allowing visitors to bring their pets and providing a separate stall for them.
25-ft of faith
At CBA Bengali Association, the emphasis continues on bringing the spirit of the traditional community Durga puja to Hyderabad through a towering 25-ft-ekchala idol. Shwetanuj Saha, representing the idol and pandal team, explains, “Every year, we try to explore a different theme and do something distinctive. This time, we wanted to celebrate the spirit of community puja. The idol follows the Bengali tradition of ekchala protima, in which idols of Durga, Saraswati, Lakshmi, Ganesha and Kartik, along with Mahishasura, are depicted together on one large canvas.”
The pandal’s decor complements the idol, with an ancient palatial aesthetic creating a setting for the deities. Its scale is another highlight, made possible by the association’s new venue at World One School in Kondapur, which offers more room than its previous locations.
“Earlier, our venue limited the height of the idol. At the new venue, we have more flexibility, allowing us to create a much taller idol and bring the entire composition together in one frame,” Shwetanuj says.
The idol is being made using clay, natural ingredients and colours, without plaster of Paris.
He highlights, “We are also introducing a special type of ornamentation for the goddess, which is being brought from Kolkata. It features intricate golden zari work and adds to the overall appearance of the idol.”
Beyond the idol and decor, CBA’s emphasis remains on making the celebrations accessible to everyone.
For the team, the aim continues to build on the community’s participation each year and make the celebrations more inclusive.
“We are privileged that so many people from across Hyderabad visit our puja. We hope to continue building on that participation and make the celebrations bigger each year,” he concludes.