Durga Puja Pandals Celebrate Bengal’s Sweet Heritage and India’s Street Food Culture

Durga Puja celebrations in Kolkata and Ranchi are bringing food and cultural heritage together through distinctive pandal themes this year. While one pandal celebrates Bengal’s long-standing tradition of sweets, another showcases popular Indian street foods, turning familiar culinary favourites into expressions of history, community and shared memories.

In Kolkata, the Ahiritola Sarbojanin Durgotsab Samity has chosen the theme Madhuri Maitrir Anneshane, which translates to “In Search of Sweetness and Harmony”. Celebrating its 87th year, the pandal explores the evolution of Bengali sweets and their importance in the region’s cultural identity.

The installation traces the use of traditional ingredients such as jaggery, rice and coconut, alongside the development of chhana-based delicacies. Iconic Bengali sweets, including sandesh, rasgulla and pantua, feature prominently in the celebration of the region’s culinary legacy. The theme also recognises generations of sweet-makers and the neighbourhood sweet shops that have remained an integral part of Bengali social life.

Meanwhile, a Durga Puja pandal in Ranchi’s Hindpiri area has turned its attention to India’s vibrant street-food culture. Its decorations draw inspiration from golgappa and jhalmuri, two widely enjoyed snacks known for their distinctive flavours and textures.

Organisers have used the contrast between sweet, tangy and spicy tastes as a metaphor for life’s different experiences. The theme reflects how food can represent the mixture of happiness, challenges and memorable moments that shape everyday life. By placing familiar foods at the centre of their designs, the pandals offer visitors more than elaborate decorations, highlighting the role of cuisine in preserving cultural identity and strengthening community bonds during Durga Puja.