Durga Puja 2026: Inside Visakhapatnam’s oldest and biggest celebrations

As Visakhapatnam prepares for Durga Puja, the city’s Bengali community is getting ready for five days of rituals, cultural performances and reunions that bring families together around familiar traditions. From the long-established puja organised by the Bengali Association in One Town to the community celebrations at Waltair Kalibari, festivities reflect the varied histories of communities that have made the port city their home.

The celebrations this year run from October 15 to 21 at several venues, with individual committees following their own programmes. The evenings also offer space for music, dance and community participation. Here is a list of some of the prominent Durga Puja celebrations in Visakhapatnam.

Bengali Association

The puja organised by the Bengali Association at Vasavi Function Hall, beside One Town Police Station, holds a special place in the hearts of the city’s Bengali households. It is regarded as Visakhapatnam’s oldest community Durga Puja celebration, carrying forward a tradition that connects generations of Bengalis living in the city.

Believed to have begun in the early 1930s in One Town, the city’s oldest quarter, the Bengali Association’s Durga Puja is rooted in a long-standing tradition of collective worship, with the community gathering for bhog, Sandhi Puja, cultural performances and the stirring rhythms of the dhaak.

The festivities this year, scheduled from October 16 to 21, begin with Bodhon (awakening of Goddess Durga) and other traditional rituals on Sasthi on October 16, followed by Sandhya Arati and cultural programmes. Pushpanjali, bhog distribution and the principal rituals mark the subsequent days, with Sandhi Puja forming a significant observance on Maha Ashtami. The celebrations conclude with Vijayadashami puja, Dahi Karma, Sindoor Utsav and immersion of the idol. The association will also organise Lakshmi Puja on October 25, Kali Puja on November 8 and Saraswati Puja in February 2027, extending the community’s festive calendar beyond Durga Puja.

Waltair Kalibari

At Waltair Kalibari on Railway Station Road, this year’s celebrations mark 66 years of Durga Puja, dating back to 1961. The celebration lends particular significance to a festival that has remained part of the city’s religious and cultural calendar for decades. The celebrations this year began on October 15 with Panchami and will continue through October 21, when Maha Dashami rituals and immersion bring the festivities to a close.

“Waltair Kalibari’s Durga Puja is among the largest celebrations in the City of Destiny, drawing thousands of devotees every year. The festival is open to everyone and its appeal extends well beyond the Bengali community, with people from different backgrounds coming together to seek the Goddess’s blessings, partake in bhog and enjoy the cultural programmes,” says J Chakravortty, general secretary of the South Coast Railway Durga Puja Committee.

Evening cultural programmes accompany the rituals, including a presentation of Bengali music. This year, there will be performances by artistes from Zee Bangla’s Sa Re Ga Ma Pa on October 18 and 19.

Steel plant

The Ukkunagaram Durga Puja Committee will celebrate its 43rd Sharodiya Durgotsav at the Ukkunagaram Kalibari Complex from October 16 to 21. The programme combines the prescribed rituals with an extensive schedule of cultural performances. Pushpanjali, bhog and arati recur through the festival, while Sandhi Puja and the observances of Maha Ashtami and Nabami will be held on October 19 and 20. The cultural programme features dance presentations by local schools and groups, instrumental music, singing and a live orchestra from Kolkata. On Vijayadashami, the committee has scheduled idol immersion at Appikonda Beach on October 23.

Ashoka Park

The Sarbojanin Shree Shree Durga Puja Committee at Ashoka Park Colony, a residential neighbourhood of defence civilians, is celebrating its 32nd year in 2026. The festivities run from October 16 to 21. The celebrations begin with rituals invoking the Goddess, followed by flower offerings, prayers and the distribution of bhog, the traditional community meal. The programme also includes a drawing competition, alongside cultural performances in the evenings.