Durga Puja 2026 in Mumbai: Dates, North Bombay Durga Puja, Bengali Community Pujas and Visitor Tips

Quick answer: Durga Puja 2026 in Mumbai 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, Mumbai). Among the city's best-known pujas is North Bombay Durga Puja, founded in 1948, and Bengali community pujas come up across Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and Thane.

Last updated: 10 October 2026. Venues, timings, bhog and cultural programmes are set by each committee and can change, so check the organiser's page before you go.

Mumbai is a city of Navratri Garba nights and Devi temples, but for its Bengali families October means one thing: pujo. For five days, community halls, school grounds and club lawns turn into pandals, the dhak sounds through the evening, and families queue for anjali and bhog. This guide covers the 2026 dates, the history of North Bombay Durga Puja, how the days unfold, and practical tips for visiting. For the full Bengal calendar see our Durga Puja 2026 dates in Kolkata, from Mahalaya to Sindoor Khela.

Durga Puja 2026 dates for Mumbai

Source: Drik Panchang day panchang for Mumbai (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 Mumbai and Kolkata dates differ by a day

A tithi belongs to the day on which it is current at local sunrise. Shashthi ends at 5:54 AM IST on 17 October. Mumbai's sunrise that day is 6:33 AM, after Shashthi has ended, so Drik's Mumbai panchang places the Shashthi rites on Friday 16 October and Navapatrika Puja on Saturday 17 October. Kolkata's sunrise is earlier, so the Kolkata calendar keeps Shashthi on 17 October and Saptami on 18 October.

Many Bengali committees outside Bengal follow the panjika published from Kolkata, so posters in Mumbai may show the Kolkata dates. Go by your own puja committee's schedule.

North Bombay Durga Puja: since 1948

According to its official history page, North Bombay Durga Puja was founded in 1948 by Padma Shri Sashadhar Mukerji and his wife Satirani Mukerji. Sashadhar Mukerji, a film producer, set up the puja with community members, and the first puja took place at Sri Mandal Hall in Santacruz before it moved to larger venues as it grew.

The puja has long been associated with the Mukerji family and with the Hindi film world; its history page recalls performers such as Asha Parekh, Dilip Kumar, Shammi Kapoor and Rani Mukerji. The organisers describe their protima, made by a sculptor from Kolkata, as 17 feet tall, and say footfall crosses five lakh visitors every year.

The organiser's website lists its venue as the SNDT Campus, Juhu Tara Road, Santacruz (West). The 2026 schedule had not been published on the site when we checked on 10 October, so confirm the venue, anjali and bhog timings on the North Bombay Durga Puja website closer to Shashthi.

Bengali community pujas across Mumbai

Beyond the famous names, much of Mumbai's Durga Puja is organised by Bengali cultural associations, residents' groups and housing societies across the western and central suburbs, Navi Mumbai and Thane. Some are decades old; others began in a single apartment complex and grew. Each publishes its own schedule for anjali, bhog, Sandhi Puja and cultural evenings.

Because venues and programmes change every year and we could only verify a few organisers directly, we have not listed other pandals here. To find a puja near you, check the organiser's page or social media, ask at your local Bengali association, or look out for notices in your housing society.

What happens on each day

Shashthi (Friday 16 October): the awakening

The puja opens with Kalparambha, the formal sankalpa, 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 the battle with Ravana. In the evening the protima is unveiled at many pandals.

Saptami (Saturday 17 October): Kola Bou

At dawn the Navapatrika, a banana plant bound with eight other plants and draped in a red-bordered sari, is bathed and installed beside Ganesha as Kola Bou. The nine plants are traditionally seen as forms of the Goddess. This year Saptami falls on a Saturday, so expect large crowds in the evening.

Ashtami (Monday 19 October): pushpanjali and Sandhi Puja

On Ashtami, devotees fast until they offer pushpanjali with the priest's chanting, and some pujas hold Kumari Puja. Sandhi Puja, with 108 lamps and 108 lotuses, is performed at the junction of Ashtami and Navami, which falls at 10:51 AM IST this year. Since Ashtami is a working Monday, many families will take the morning off for anjali and Sandhi Puja. See our Sandhi Puja 2026 guide for the meaning and legend.

Navami (Tuesday 20 October): bhog, homa and dhunuchi

Maha Navami brings the homa, the grand Navami bhog and, in the evening, the dhunuchi naach to the beat of the dhak. The same day is Dussehra in Maharashtra, with Seemollanghan and the exchange of apta leaves as 'gold'; see our Dussehra 2026 in Maharashtra guide.

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

Married women offer sindoor and sweets to the Goddess and then play Sindoor Khela. Immersion processions follow, and families exchange Bijoya greetings and sweets. In Mumbai, the BMC and local authorities designate immersion points and artificial ponds; committees follow those arrangements. Our Bijoya Dashami food guide has recipes for narkel naru and nimki.

Navratri, Garba and Durga Puja in one city

Mumbai celebrates the Goddess in many languages at once. Gujarati and Marathi families keep the nine nights of Navratri with Garba, Dandiya and visits to Devi temples, and the city's historic Mahalakshmi and Mumba Devi temples see heavy Navratri crowds. Bengali families keep Durga Puja from Shashthi to Dashami. Both end around Dussehra. If you want to understand how these festivals relate, read our Navratri vs Durga Puja vs Dussehra explainer, and for the nine days see our Navaratri 2026 dates and nine Devi forms guide.

Food: bhog and the stalls

Bhog is offered to the Goddess and then served to devotees, usually khichuri, labra, fritters, chutney and payesh, though menus vary by committee and day. Many pujas serve bhog at fixed times, sometimes with coupons. The food stalls at bigger pujas bring Kolkata favourites to Mumbai: rolls, fish fry, mughlai paratha, puchka and Bengali sweets.

Tips for visiting Durga Puja in Mumbai

• Check the organiser's page for the 2026 venue and timings; some pujas move between years.
• Use local trains or the Metro where you can, and expect slow traffic and limited parking near big pandals in the evenings.
• Go early in the day for a calmer darshan. Saptami (Saturday) and Navami evening are usually the most crowded.
• Carry water, an umbrella in case of a late shower, a little cash and a charged phone.
• Follow volunteers' queues, keep children close and agree on a meeting point.
• Ask before photographing rituals or people, and never block the anjali or arati.

Etiquette at the pandal

• Remove footwear where asked, and do not touch the protima.
• During pushpanjali, follow the priest and offer flowers when told; if you do not know the words, join with folded hands.
• Bhog is prasad: take only what you will eat.
• Sindoor Khela is traditionally for married women; visitors should watch respectfully unless invited to join.
• Keep noise and litter down, especially at pujas held in residential societies.

Mantra for the Goddess

A short name-mantra of Durga that you can chant at the pandal or at home:

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.

Related Durga Puja 2026 guides

• Durga Puja 2026 dates in Kolkata, Mahalaya to Sindoor Khela
• Sandhi Puja 2026: timing, 108 lamps and lotuses
• Kolkata Durga Puja 2026 news and pandal themes
• Durga Puja 2026 West Bengal: SAHAJ permission and state guidelines
• Durga Puja 2026 in Delhi's CR Park
• Dussehra 2026 in Maharashtra

Frequently asked questions

When is Durga Puja 2026 in Mumbai?

According to Drik Panchang for Mumbai, the Shashthi rites (Kalparambha and Akal Bodhon) fall on Friday 16 October 2026 and Navapatrika Puja (Saptami) on Saturday 17 October. Maha Ashtami and Sandhi Puja are on Monday 19 October, Bengal Maha Navami on Tuesday 20 October and Bengal Vijayadashami on Wednesday 21 October.

Why do some Mumbai pujas list Shashthi on 17 October?

Shashthi tithi ends at 5:54 AM IST on 17 October, which is before sunrise in Mumbai but after sunrise in Kolkata. Drik's Mumbai panchang therefore places the Shashthi rites on 16 October, while the Kolkata calendar keeps Shashthi on 17 October. Committees that follow the Bengali panjika may use the Kolkata dates, so check your puja's schedule.

When was North Bombay Durga Puja started?

According to its official history page, North Bombay Durga Puja was founded in 1948 by Padma Shri Sashadhar Mukerji and his wife Satirani Mukerji. The first puja was held at Sri Mandal Hall in Santacruz.

Where is North Bombay Durga Puja held?

Its official website lists the SNDT Campus on Juhu Tara Road, Santacruz (West). Confirm the 2026 venue and timings on the organiser's website or social media before you visit.

What time is Sandhi Puja 2026 in Mumbai?

The Ashtami–Navami junction falls at 10:51 AM IST on Monday 19 October (Drik Panchang). Because a tithi ends at the same instant across India, this applies in Mumbai too. Sandhi Puja spans the 48 minutes around it; your pandal will announce the exact window.

Is Durga Puja the same as Navratri in Mumbai?

They overlap. Most of Mumbai celebrates Navratri with Garba, Dandiya and visits to Devi temples from 11 to 19 October, followed by Dussehra on 20 October. Bengali Durga Puja is the five-day worship of Durga with her children, from Shashthi to Bijoya Dashami.

Editor's note (10 October 2026)

Dates are from Drik Panchang's day panchang for Mumbai, checked on 10 October 2026. Details about North Bombay Durga Puja are from its official website and history page as of the same date; the 2026 schedule had not yet been posted there. We have not named other Mumbai pandals or events because we could not verify them from organiser pages; please check the organiser's page for programmes, bhog and timings.