KOLKATA: Kolkata’s iconic Allen Park, long associated with Christmas lights, carols and the city’s celebrated year-end festivities, is set for a striking transformation this festive season. For the first time in decades, the Park Street landmark will host a Durga Puja, bringing a major Hindu religious and cultural celebration to a venue better known for its Christmas identity.
The puja, organised by the Kolkata Sanatani Sangha, is being billed by its organisers as an effort to give Bengali and Sanatani traditions a prominent new platform in one of Kolkata’s most recognisable public spaces.
The move is particularly significant because Allen Park has become synonymous with Kolkata’s Christmas celebrations. The venue hosted the Park Street Carnival from 2007, before the Bengal government took over the event after 2011 and rechristened it the Christmas Festival. Over the years, Allen Park became one of the focal points of Kolkata’s Christmas tourism, attracting residents and visitors with lights, music and cultural programmes.
Now, the same public space is preparing to showcase Durga Puja, Bengali culture and Sanatani rituals.
A Hindu festival enters Kolkata’s Christmas heartland
The organisers say the idea is not to displace Christmas celebrations but to broaden the cultural identity of Park Street.
BJP general secretary Navin Mishra, who is the secretary of the puja committee, said the idea had been on his mind since he contested the civic elections in 2015. According to Mishra, Park Street had not traditionally been associated with Durga Puja, although a small puja is believed to have been held in the area more than 200 years ago.
The new initiative, therefore, is being presented by its organisers as the revival or creation of a Hindu festive presence at a location whose public identity has increasingly been shaped by Christmas celebrations.
“We have no objection to anyone celebrating their festival. Christmas should be celebrated beautifully,” Mishra said, while stressing that Bengali and Sanatani culture should also have representation in the locality.
‘We are creating history’
The organisers are planning a large-scale celebration rather than a conventional neighbourhood puja. The committee, headed by BJP spokesperson Shankudeb Panda as president and Mishra as secretary, intends to give the event a distinctly Bengali character, incorporating Baul music and cultural traditions from Purulia, Bankura, North Bengal and other parts of the state.
The organisers also plan cultural programmes, aarti and prasad distribution, seeking to turn Allen Park into a major destination for Hindu devotees and visitors during Durga Puja. Mishra has described the initiative as an attempt to create a spectacle while remaining rooted in traditional rituals.
Varanasi-style evening aarti planned
One of the biggest attractions is expected to be a grand evening aarti from Chaturthi to Dashami, inspired by the famous Ganga aarti in Varanasi. The organisers want families from Kolkata as well as neighbouring districts to visit Allen Park, experience Bengali cultural performances, receive prasad and attend the evening aarti.
The organisers are also considering beginning cultural programmes from Mahalaya, although the formal religious rituals will commence from Chaturthi.
Bhoomi pujan instead of khuti puja
Pandal construction has already begun, with the committee planning a bhoomi pujan next week. Mishra said the organisers would follow bhoomi pujan rather than the more commonly used khuti puja, describing the choice as part of their commitment to Sanatani traditions.
The choice of Allen Park carries symbolism beyond the festival itself. Park Street has long represented Kolkata’s cosmopolitan character, particularly during Christmas and New Year when the area becomes one of the city’s biggest public attractions.
Their stated position is that the two traditions need not compete. Christmas can retain its place on Park Street while Durga Puja establishes its own presence.
Police prepare for a new crowd magnet
The cultural expansion is already creating logistical challenges. Kolkata Police has reportedly identified the first Durga Puja at Allen Park as a significant crowd-management concern. With the organisers planning major cultural programmes and aarti, authorities expect the venue to attract substantial footfall.
Kolkata Traffic Police is considering restrictions on Camac Street during the cultural programmes. The stretch between Park Street and Middleton Street could be closed to vehicles, while Park Street itself is expected to remain open.
Traffic diversions are also being considered through Little Russell Street, Russell Street and Ho Chi Minh Sarani, with Middleton Row potentially being converted into a two-way street during the restrictions.
The police have already placed Allen Park among the new crowd-pullers requiring special traffic and pedestrian-management arrangements during Durga Puja.
