Durga Puja 2026: 3 must-visit Bengali pandals in Thane and Chembur

When it comes to Durga Puja in Mumbai, Bollywood often shares the spotlight with Maa Durga. Stars flock to the Mukherjee family’s North Bombay Sarbojanin Durga Puja and singer Abhijeet Bhattacharya’s Lokhandwala celebration. Beyond the celebrity glamour, however, community pandals keep the festival’s cultural heart alive.

For Bengalis living away from home, Durga Puja is a homecoming shaped by familiar rituals, bhog, music and memories of Bengal. Indulge Express takes you to three must-visit pandals across Thane and Mumbai, where devotion, heritage and community take centre stage.

For Arnab De, president of Aamra Prabashi, Durga Puja is about preserving cultural roots away from Bengal. “‘Prabashi’ refers to those who have lived away from their native land,” he says.

The journey began in 2001, when 14 families organised a Saraswati Puja in a garage in Hiranandani Estate. Their first Durga Puja followed in 2003. Today, the community has grown to nearly 700 families, with celebrations spread across 1.6 lakh square feet.

This year’s theme, Kolkatar Pothe Pothe, brings Kolkata’s streets, sounds and memories to Thane, from yellow Ambassador taxis and College Street bookstalls to its food and cultural landmarks.

“We want visitors walking into our Pujo pandal in Thane to experience the Kolkata that has always lived in a closed corner of their heart,” De says.

The focus is also on helping younger generations experience their heritage. “We have attempted to make culture something they actively experience rather than something that they are simply told to preserve,” he adds.

Established in 1954, the Chembur Durga Puja Association has brought Mumbai’s Bengali community together for more than seven decades. Its celebrations combine worship with traditional crafts, music, dance and Bengali cuisine.

In 2024, the idol and pandal decorations featured shola work, a traditional craft using lightweight plant material, with artisans from Bengal contributing to the creations.

Anando Mela adds to the festivities with cultural performances and community activities. Phuchka and patishapta bring familiar Bengali flavours to the celebrations, while a phuchka-eating competition takes place every year.

Associated with the RCF Ground area near Ashish Cinema, the Puja remains an important part of Chembur’s Bengali cultural life, bringing generations together through shared traditions and a sense of belonging.

With a Durga Puja tradition dating back to the early 1960s, Bangiya Parishad has spent over six decades preserving Bengali culture in Thane.

Its celebrations extend beyond Durga Puja to festivals such as Poila Boishakh and Rabindra Jayanti, keeping younger generations connected to their roots.

The organisation’s themed pandals have drawn inspiration from Bengal’s architectural and rural heritage. Past creations include a temple-inspired structure and a dhaner gola, a traditional hut used to store harvested paddy. Music, dance and cultural performances complement the rituals, turning the Puja into a wider community gathering.

Located at Highland Gardens, Dhokali, Bangiya Parishad reflects how traditions travel with people, take root in a new city and connect generations to the place they call home.

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