Durga Puja 2022: All roads in Kolkata lead to Vatican's St Peter's Basilica

Every year, globally acclaimed Kolkata's Durga Puja pandals bring new unique innovative puja themes and Durga idols. This year all eyes are on Sree Bhumi Sporting Club whose pandal's theme is a replica of the Vatican City's St. Peter's Basilica.

Kolkata: Since the night of Mahalaya, all roads in Kolkata led to Lake Town in the northern part of the city to watch the Sree Bhumi Sporting Club’s Durga Puja. The organisers have made the pandal with a theme of St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City. Last year too, it stunned all by depicting the tallest building in the world Burj Khalifa.

Cut to 2022, Sree Bhumi Sporting Club’s Durga Puja, which is known as Fire Service Minister Sujit Bose’s puja, is commemorating its 50th anniversary. It may be recalled that the picturesque Burj Khalifa replica had to be shut down for the visitors by Ashtami (eighth day) last year after a large crowd thronged the pandal resulting in a major traffic snarl on VIP Road and a stampede-like situation arose.

This year the main pandal depicts a renaissance-styled church built at a width of 54 feet and an altitude of 65 feet. On Thursday, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee warned the minister that it would again be shut if a last-year-like situation arose when she inaugurated the puja.

“Every year we make something special and we tried to depict the Vatican City. People liked our Burj Khalifa last year and I am sure this year also they will like it,” organiser Sujit Bose told ETV Bharat on Monday.

Mamata, meanwhile, inaugurated several community Durga Puja pandals in the City. Among those were 10 big-budget pandals, including Ajeya Sanhati in Haridevpur, Bosepukur Sitala Mandir and Behala Natun Dal. The Durga Puja festivities this year will begin on October 1 -- Sashti. However, Mamata has been inaugurating pandals since September 22.

On Sunday, Mamata inaugurated the Durga Puja pandal of Chetla Agragami and said the festival has twin feathers on its crown this year -- Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO and Best Destination for Culture by a global organisation of travel writers.