Durga Puja 2026: How Bengal’s ‘Shodhan’ and ‘Adi Shakti’ pandals turn devotion into a bigger message

What if a Durga Puja pandal did more than dazzle you with lights, elaborate decorations and a towering idol? What if it also made you pause and think about the world around you?

As West Bengal prepares for Durga Puja 2026, two distinctive pandal themes are drawing attention for doing just that. In south Kolkata, Rajdanga Naba Uday Sangha’s ‘Shodhan’ explores the consequences of environmental destruction. In Siliguri, Subrata Sangha’s ‘Adi Shakti’ turns towards the primordial power believed to sustain the universe.

Together, the themes reflect how Bengal’s biggest cultural celebration continues to bring religious devotion, artistic imagination and wider social ideas under one roof.

Durga Puja 2026: Rajdanga’s ‘Shodhan’ imagines a future without nature

Can a civilisation survive after exhausting the natural world on which it depends? That question lies at the heart of ‘Shodhan’, the 2026 theme unveiled by Rajdanga Naba Uday Sangha in south Kolkata. According to The Indian Express, the installation, conceptualised by artist Debashis Barui, imagines a future in which a machine-dependent civilisation has depleted nature’s resources. With the environmental balance destroyed, people are left searching for artificial alternatives to oxygen.

The unsettling premise turns the pandal into more than a visual attraction. It asks visitors to consider how rapid urbanisation, the wasteful use of natural resources and human interference with the environment could shape the future. The word ‘Shodhan’ evokes purification and renewal. In this setting, it also raises a difficult question: what happens when the damage caused by human activity becomes so severe that repairing the natural world is no longer straightforward?

By connecting a festive installation with environmental concerns, the pandal invites visitors to look beyond the spectacle and reflect on the consequences of their everyday choices.

Siliguri’s Adi Shakti pandal celebrates the universe’s primordial power

From an imagined environmental crisis, the focus shifts to a cosmic vision in Siliguri, where Subrata Sangha has chosen ‘Adi Shakti’ as its theme ahead of its 69th year. The pandal features a giant idol of Lord Shiva alongside a replica of Mount Kailash, creating a setting rooted in Hindu mythology and the idea of divine power.

Speaking to ANI, Ashim Kumar Sengupta, a member of the Subrata Sangha Durga Puja Committee, described Adi Shakti as a power present in the universe from the beginning: invisible and formless, yet central to a tradition that continues to be celebrated. The committee has also made arrangements for crowd management, with police personnel, private security staff and volunteers expected to help manage visitors.

Why Durga Puja pandals are more than festive attractions

Durga Puja, also known as Durgotsava or Sharodotsava, celebrates Goddess Durga’s victory over the buffalo demon Mahishasura. According to Hindu tradition, the goddess returns to her earthly abode during the festival, bringing devotees together for worship and celebration. In West Bengal, however, the pandal has also become a canvas for artistic experimentation and storytelling. Some installations revisit mythology and heritage; others draw attention to environmental concerns, history and contemporary life.

Durga Puja 2026 will be observed from October 17 to 21, with preparations already gathering pace across the state.

Whether through ‘Shodhan’s’ warning about a damaged natural world or ‘Adi Shakti’s’ vision of cosmic power, these pandals offer different ways to experience the festival. They remind visitors that amid the lights, crowds and celebrations, a pandal can also leave behind a question worth carrying home.

(With inputs from ANI)