95 Pally Jodhpur Park

95 Pally Jodhpur Park — Conceptual Durga Puja in South Kolkata

The 95 Pally Association organises one of South Kolkata's most talked-about community Durga Pujas, held beside the Jodhpur Park Lake on Rahim Ostagar Road. Founded in 1950, the puja entered its 76th year in 2025 and has built a reputation for bold, conceptual themes that treat the pandal as a piece of immersive theatre rather than a mere temporary structure. The neighbourhood itself — an affluent, green pocket of south Kolkata near Rabindra Sarobar metro — lends the celebration a loyal local following and a steady stream of pandal-hoppers from across the city.

Over the last decade 95 Pally has become a fixture on the southern pandal route, prized for intricate craftsmanship, layered lighting and a strong interior narrative. The 2025 theme, Ei Banga Bhandare (হে বঙ্গ ভাণ্ডারে, "Oh treasure of Bengal"), was designed by artist Shakti Sharma and read as a commentary on the cultural and material condition of Bengal. Each year the committee pairs a social or philosophical idea with ambitious set design, drawing thousands of visitors across the five days of the festival. The celebration follows the traditional Bengali calendar — beginning with Mahalaya and the invocation of the goddess, moving through Shashthi, Saptami, Ashtami (with the sandhi puja and 108-lamp offering), Navami and finally Dashami, when the idol is carried in procession for immersion.

As a barowari, or community, puja, 95 Pally reflects the form of Durga Puja that UNESCO inscribed on the Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2019 — a festival that temporarily transforms neighbourhoods into open-air galleries of art and devotion.

• Founded: 1950 (76th edition in 2025)
• Location: Rahim Ostagar Road, Jodhpur Park; nearest metro Rabindra Sarobar
• 2025 theme: "Ei Banga Bhandare" by artist Shakti Sharma
• Known for: conceptual, design-driven pandals and dramatic light work
• Neighbourhood: South Kolkata, alongside fellow puja Pally Mangal Samity