About the archive

The Pandal Archive is an independent, photographic record of Kolkata’s Durga Puja pandals. Each pandal gets one page: a hero photograph, the committee’s announced theme (in English and Bengali), the artist and concept where known, a short written history, and a year-by-year gallery of photographs and club-specific films.

We cover the barowari (community) pandals across North, South, Central and Greater Kolkata, the concept-led theme puja pandals, and the heritage bonedi bari household pujas. The collection is pre-season for 2026 — themes and 2026 photographs land as committees announce them.

The base list is the official Kolkata Police Puja Guide map, merged with festival research and published under Apache-2.0. Themes are cross-checked against committee announcements and press coverage; photographs carry credits and licenses and are used for editorial and research purposes. Where a committee has not yet published a theme, the page says so rather than guessing.

Durga Puja in Kolkata is recognised by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. We treat the pandal as a public, open-air art exhibition — which is how the archive is organised.

135 pandals catalogued · photographs and films added per season · 5 neighbourhoods represented, led by South Kolkata (64).

• South Kolkata — 64 pandals
• North Kolkata — 40 pandals
• — 26 pandals
• Greater Kolkata — 4 pandals
• Central Kolkata — 1 pandals

Committees and photographers can help complete a page — share a theme announcement, a logo, or season photographs. Browse by collection from the top menu, or open the Gallery.