Mini-Bengal in heart of Awadh: Lucknow pandals blend Kolkata's Durga Pujo with Ayodhya's Ram temple

From Ayodhya Ram temple to legendary Bengali actor Mahanayak Uttam Kumar and from Kolkatas famous Durga Pujo to rural Bengal and Daaker Saaj the themed pandals have virtually transformed Uttar Pradeshs capital into mini BengalThe over 100yearold Bengali Club and Young Mens Association of Lucknow is celebrating the mega journey of legendary actor Uttam Kumar while Jogendra Pathak Road Puja Committee is showcasing the famous Durga Pujo of Kolkata in their pandal from Maha Shasthi sixth day of Navratri to Bijoya Dashami 10th dayRabindrapalli Durga Puja Committees theme this year is Chirantan Bangla immortal Bengal and TransGomti Durga Puja Committees highlight is Daaker Saaj a traditional silverwhite ornamentation style used to decorate Goddess Durga and her family idols during PujaPresident of Bengali Club and Young Mens Association Arun Banerjee told PTI The year 2026 marks the centenary of iconic actor Uttam Kumar born as Arun Kumar Chattopadhyay As Bengal is celebrating 100 years of Mahanayak here in Lucknow the Bengali Club is celebrating the actors mega journeyThe entire pandal at Bengali Club is decorated with the thespians posters Banerjee added that superhit songs featuring Uttam Kumar and contemporary actresses such as Suchitra Sen are being playedTraditional Bengali dress competition for men clad in dhoti and women draped in saree with cash awards is also a novelty at Bengali Club this year with awards for the top three winners Banerjee saidJogendra Pathak Road Puja Committee functionary Siddhartha Sanyal told PTI that their pandal is celebrating Durga Pujo of KolkataIn Bonedi Baris the zamindarstyle mansions featuring central open courtyards Thaakur Daalaan in West Bengal Goddess Durga along with other Gods and Goddesses are worshipped The same concept has been showcased in our pandal through painted vinyl sheets depicting the iconic Howrah Bridge Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore Hilsa fish and other prominent landmarks of Kolkata he saidSanyal also said that the 16th Committee of UNESCO for safeguarding the Intangible Cultural Heritage ICH in its meeting held on December 15 2021 in Paris has inscribed Durga Puja in Kolkata on the representative list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of HumanityFormer president of Rabindrapalli Durga Puja Committee Mihir Banerjee told PTI This years theme is Chirantan Bangla immortal Bengal Our unique pandal built by expert artisans of Kolkata offers visitors a glimpse of rural BengalJoyanto Sarkar general secretary of TransGomti Durga Puja Committee told PTI The highlight of the Puja Committee is Daaker Saaj our humble offering of love to the Divine MotherHe said it is more than mere decorationIts shimmering beauty reflects our shared memories deeprooted traditions and emotional bonds that bring our community together in devotion to Ma Durga Sarkar addedIn a bid to catch the attention of GenZ the Cantonment Puja and Seva Samiti has installed selfie points within the puja pandal premises located in the Usman Road area of LucknowMedia secretary of Cantonment Puja and Seva Samiti Nihar Ranjan Dey told PTI Gen Z is dominating the internet and social media We feel this generation should also imbibe devotion towards Gods and Goddesses The various selfie points at the pandal are meant to attract them to pandals so that they could seek the blessings of the GoddessVK Tiwari the chief patron of Mitro Sangho Model House Park Puja Committee said that his Puja pandal resembles the Akshardham Temple of GandhinagarThe pandal of the Durga Puja held at PocketE in Jankipuram resembles the Ram temple of Ayodhya accompanied by Ram Path and Lata Mangeshkar Chowk which have emerged as the latest attractions in AyodhyaI havent visited the Ram Temple yet but now after visiting this puja pandal we surely plan to visit Ayodhya soon said Mamta Shah a housewife from the old cityThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever