2013 Bengal Club Shivaji Park Mumbai Durga Puja Pandal

The Durga Puja organized by the Bengal Club, Shivaji Park, Mumbai is one of the most popular pandals in the city. Last year, the pandal’s design was centered on Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore's ancestral home, Thakur Bari, the ancestral home of Rabindranath Tagore (see details here). 

This year, the design is a replica of the famous Bishnupur Temple in Bankura District, West Bengal. For a special touch, the decorations have been done by artistes from Shantineketan.

About the Bishnupur Temples

Bishnupur is a well-known town in Bankura District, West Bengal. The name of the town derives from the name of Lord Vishnu. The town is famous due to the beautiful baluchari sarees & terracotta pottery & figurines created by the locals. Equally well known are the unique temples of this town, exquisitely created from brick & laterite. Each temple has 3 archways and the tiles on the pillars and walls depict scenes from the famous Maharabharat epic.

The Bengal Club Pandal's Replication
The Bengal Club’s Durga Paja pandal has beautifully re-created these temples, complete with the 3 arched-doorways. On the inside, various incarnations of Goddess Durga adorn the upper sections and the tiled pillars and archways are replicas of those in the Bishnupur temples. Hats off to the artisans who designed the pandal! Everybody admires the idols themselves, but few bother to take a close look at the painstaking work which is evident in the craftsmanship of the pandal decor and decorations.

Important feedback: Unfortunately, due to the heavy rains last night, the whole area is a complete muddy mess. I could not enter from the main arched gateway due to a swimming pool-sized patch of water. Visitors can enter from the narrow side gate, but do be careful inside too. The pathway is very slippery and only a few nimble persons like me ventured to the front, as the area in front of the Devi too is filled with shallow puddles of water. I was unable to visit the exhibition stalls too, unfortunately, due to water logging. Old people are advised to go with somebody as it is very slippery and unstable everywhere both inside and outside. Or just wait till the Sun comes out to dry out everything!

 Bengal Club Shivaji Park Durga Puja Pandal Photos

 

3-arched doorway at entrance

Goddess Durga flanked by other idols

Goddess Lakshmi

Lord Ganesha

Goddess Saraswati

Kartikeya

Vehicles of the idols

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The Interior of the Pandal

Goddess Durga's many incarnations depicted in the top panels

Closeup of tiles on pillar, similar to actual Bishnupur Temple