Durga Puja 2026 CR Park Delhi: Dates, Pandals & Tips

Quick answer: Durga Puja 2026 in Delhi runs from Maha Shashthi on Friday 16 October to Bijoya Dashami on Wednesday 21 October, with Maha Ashtami and Sandhi Puja on Monday 19 October (Drik Panchang, Delhi). Chittaranjan Park (CR Park) in South Delhi is the heart of the capital's Bengali Durga Puja, with pujas spread across the colony. The Chittaranjan Park Kali Mandir Society has announced Agomoni on 11 October and an Anando Mela on 15 October.

Last updated: 10 October 2026. Pandal timings, cultural programmes and food stalls are set by each puja committee and can change, so check the organiser's page or notice board before you go.

For Bengalis in Delhi, the pujo is not just a festival: it is a homecoming. For a few days CR Park sounds, smells and feels like a neighbourhood of Kolkata, with the dhak echoing through its lanes, the scent of dhuno (incense resin) in the air, and families in new clothes moving from pandal to pandal. This guide covers the 2026 dates, how the days unfold, what to expect in CR Park, and how to make the most of it. For the full Bengal calendar see our Durga Puja 2026 dates in Kolkata, from Mahalaya to Sindoor Khela.

Durga Puja 2026 dates for Delhi

Day	Date (2026)	Main observance
Mahalaya	Saturday 10 October	Mahalaya Amavasya; start of Devi Paksha
Maha Shashthi	Friday 16 October	Bilva Nimantran, Kalparambha, Akal Bodhon
Maha Saptami	Saturday 17 October	Navapatrika (Kola Bou) Puja
Maha Ashtami	Monday 19 October	Pushpanjali, Kumari Puja (at some pujas), Sandhi Puja at the 10:51 AM IST junction
Maha Navami	Tuesday 20 October	Bengal Maha Navami; Navami bhog and homa; Dussehra across North India
Bijoya Dashami	Wednesday 21 October	Bengal Vijayadashami: Sindoor Khela, Bisarjan, Bijoya greetings

Source: Drik Panchang day panchang for Delhi (16 to 21 October 2026). Saptami tithi continues until 8:27 AM IST on Sunday 18 October, and Ashtami runs from then until 10:51 AM IST on Monday 19 October.

Why Delhi and Kolkata dates differ by a day

Hindu calendars assign a tithi to the day on which it is current at local sunrise. Shashthi ends at 5:54 AM IST on 17 October. Kolkata's sunrise comes before that, so the Kolkata calendar keeps Shashthi on Saturday 17 October and Saptami on Sunday 18 October. Delhi's sunrise comes after it, so Drik's Delhi panchang places the Shashthi rites on Friday 16 October and Navapatrika Puja on Saturday 17 October. Ashtami (19 October), Navami (20 October) and Dashami (21 October) are the same in both cities.

Many probashi (Bengalis living outside Bengal) committees follow the Bengali panjika published from Kolkata, so their posters may show the Kolkata dates. Either way, go by your own puja committee's schedule.

Chittaranjan Park: Delhi's little Bengal

Chittaranjan Park grew up after Partition as a settlement for families displaced from East Bengal and was named after the freedom fighter Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Das. Over the decades it became the cultural centre of Delhi's Bengali community, known for its markets, its fish and sweets, its temples and, above all, its Durga Pujas.

During the festival, pujas organised by block committees, residents' groups and cultural associations come up across the colony. Each has its own protima (image of the Goddess), pandal design, bhog arrangements and cultural evenings. Because names, venues and programmes are announced by each committee every year, we have not listed them here; check the organiser's page or the notices posted in the colony.

CR Park Kali Mandir

The Chittaranjan Park Kali Mandir Society was established on 4 March 1973 in the Mandir Complex, Chittaranjan Park. According to its website, its Durga Puja began in 1977 and attracts thousands of devotees, and the society describes the CR Park Durga Puja as among the most celebrated in Delhi.

For 2026 the society's notice board lists cultural competitions from 19 September to 13 October, Agomoni on 11 October at 5:30 PM and an Anando Mela on 15 October. Its full puja schedule is announced through its notices and poster, so check the society's website closer to Shashthi for anjali, bhog and arati timings.

What happens on each day

Shashthi (Friday 16 October): the awakening

The worship formally begins with Kalparambha, the sankalpa that opens the puja, and Akal Bodhon, the 'untimely awakening' of the Goddess. Bodhon recalls the tradition that Rama worshipped Durga in autumn, outside her usual spring season, before his battle with Ravana. In the evening the face of the protima is unveiled at many pandals, and the crowds begin.

Saptami (Saturday 17 October): Kola Bou

At dawn a banana plant, together with eight other plants and tied with a white-and-red sari, is bathed and installed beside Ganesha as the Navapatrika or Kola Bou. The nine plants are traditionally seen as forms of the Goddess, and the rite links Durga Puja to the harvest and the earth. Saptami's is the first full day of puja, with bhog and the first big evening of pandal-hopping. It falls on a Saturday this year, so expect heavy crowds.

Ashtami (Monday 19 October): pushpanjali and Sandhi Puja

Ashtami is the most important day for many devotees. Families fast until they offer pushpanjali, the flower offering made with the priest's chanting. Some pujas hold Kumari Puja, worshipping a young girl as the Goddess. At the junction of Ashtami and Navami comes Sandhi Puja, with 108 lamps and 108 lotuses offered to Chamunda. In 2026 the junction falls at 10:51 AM IST, so Sandhi Puja is a late-morning event. See our Sandhi Puja 2026 guide for its meaning and legend.

Navami (Tuesday 20 October): bhog and homa

Maha Navami brings the Navami homa, a grand bhog, and in the evening the most joyful dhunuchi naach, the dance with smoking clay incense burners to the beat of the dhak. The same day is Dussehra across North India, so Delhi will also have Ramlila finales and Ravan Dahan; see our Dussehra 2026 in Delhi guide.

Bijoya Dashami (Wednesday 21 October): Sindoor Khela and farewell

Married women offer sweets and sindoor to the Goddess, then smear sindoor on each other's faces and hair in Sindoor Khela. After the bisarjan (immersion) procession, families exchange Bijoya greetings: younger people touch the feet of elders, friends embrace, and sweets are shared. Our Bijoya Dashami food guide with narkel naru and nimki has recipes for the visits.

Food: bhog and the stalls

Bhog is the heart of a Bengali puja. Typical bhog includes khichuri, labra (mixed vegetables), beguni or other fritters, chutney and payesh, though menus vary by committee and day. Many pujas serve bhog to all visitors at set times, sometimes with coupons; check the arrangements on the day.

Away from the bhog lines, CR Park's food stalls are famous: rolls, fish fry, mughlai paratha, puchka, mishti doi and sandesh. Expect long queues in the evenings. If you are keeping a fast or vegetarian diet, ask about ingredients before ordering.

Pandal-hopping tips for CR Park

Go early in the day or on a weekday morning if you want darshan without crowds. Saptami (a Saturday) and Navami evening are usually the busiest.
Use the Delhi Metro and walk. Roads around the colony are congested and parking is very limited in the evenings; check the DMRC journey planner for the nearest station.
Wear comfortable footwear. You will be removing shoes at pandals and walking a lot.
Carry water, a little cash and a charged phone, and agree on a meeting point with children.
Follow the volunteers' queues and barricades, and keep to the left in crowded lanes.
Ask before photographing the priest, the rituals or individuals, and never block the anjali or arati.
Respect the neighbours: CR Park is a residential colony. Keep noise down late at night and do not litter.

Etiquette at the pandal

Remove footwear where asked, and do not touch the protima.
During pushpanjali, follow the priest's chanting and offer flowers when told. If you do not know the words, simply join with folded hands.
Bhog is prasad: take only what you will eat and do not waste it.
Sindoor Khela on Dashami is traditionally for married women; visitors should watch respectfully unless invited to join.
Immersion: in recent years Delhi authorities have restricted idol immersion in the Yamuna and arranged artificial ponds. Committees follow the current orders, and visitors should not join processions on their own.

Mantra for the Goddess

If you wish to offer a short prayer at the pandal or at home, this is a widely used name-mantra of Durga:

ॐ दुं दुर्गायै नमः॥

oṃ duṃ durgāyai namaḥ||

Meaning: Om, salutations to Durga. It is a prayer for protection and strength, not a promise of any particular result.

Frequently asked questions

When is Durga Puja 2026 in Delhi?

According to Drik Panchang for Delhi, the Shashthi rites (Kalparambha and Akal Bodhon) fall on Friday 16 October 2026, Navapatrika Puja (Saptami) on Saturday 17 October, Maha Ashtami and Sandhi Puja on Monday 19 October, Bengal Maha Navami on Tuesday 20 October and Bengal Vijayadashami on Wednesday 21 October. Some committees follow the Kolkata panjika, so check your puja's own schedule.

Why do some CR Park schedules show Shashthi on 17 October?

Tithis are counted from local sunrise. Shashthi ends at 5:54 AM IST on 17 October, which is after sunrise in Kolkata but before sunrise in Delhi. So Kolkata's calendar shows Shashthi on Saturday 17 October, while Drik's Delhi panchang shows the Shashthi rites on Friday 16 October. Committees that follow the Bengali panjika may use the Kolkata dates.

What time is Sandhi Puja 2026 in Delhi?

The meeting of Ashtami and Navami falls at 10:51 AM IST on Monday 19 October (Drik Panchang). A tithi ends at the same instant across India, so this applies in Delhi too. Sandhi Puja spans the 48 minutes around that moment; your pandal will announce its exact window.

Is the CR Park Kali Mandir Durga Puja old?

The Chittaranjan Park Kali Mandir Society was established on 4 March 1973, and according to its website its Durga Puja began in 1977. It is one of the best-known pujas in the colony.

Is entry to CR Park pandals free?

Community Durga Puja pandals are traditionally open to all visitors without a ticket. Food stalls, cultural programmes or special events may have their own charges. Check each organiser's notices.

How do I reach CR Park during Durga Puja?

Delhi Metro is the easiest way, because roads and parking around the colony are very crowded in the evenings. Use the DMRC journey planner to find the nearest station and expect to walk between pandals.

Editor's note (10 October 2026)

Dates are from Drik Panchang's day panchang for Delhi, checked on 10 October 2026. Details about the CR Park Kali Mandir Society are from its official website as of the same date. We have not named other pandals or events because we could not verify them from organiser pages; please check the organiser's page for programmes, bhog and timings. If you run a CR Park puja and would like your official schedule linked, contact us.