Explore six Durga Puja pandals across Pune, featuring traditional idols, cultural celebrations and festive community gatherings. (Image Credits: iStock) Pune’s Bengali community has been holding its own Durga Puja celebrations since well before the city turned into the IT and education hub it is today, and the pandals here tend to be a little more spread out and low-key than Mumbai’s, without losing any of the scale. A lot of that history traces back to Bengali families who settled in Pune for work and education decades ago, building neighbourhood-level pujas that have since grown alongside the city itself. Here are six pandals worth visiting across the city this festive season. Traditional rituals and beautifully decorated pandals remain at the heart of Durga Puja celebrations among Bengali communities. (Image Credits: iStock) Now in its fifth year at Safa Banquets on Balewadi High Street, this pandal has built its celebration around the theme “Manusher Majhe Maa,” or the mother within us. Alongside traditional rituals, it runs a full cultural programme through the week, a Bengali food festival and an Ananda Mela. Traditional attire, cultural activities and community gatherings bring people together throughout the Durga Puja festivities. (Image Credits: iStock) Set up at Gyandeep Garden near the Pashan-Baner Link Road junction, this is a seven-day affair with bhog served on multiple days through the festival. The line-up includes performers brought in from Kolkata, Mumbai and Pune itself, alongside food stalls, and the pandal keeps entry free throughout. Food stalls and community activities give visitors another reason to spend time at Durga Puja celebrations beyond the traditional rituals. (Image Credits: iStock) Marking its 24th edition at Corporation Ground in Bhosle Garden, this puja leans fully traditional, with daily rituals and cultural programmes that reportedly pull in thousands of visitors each day. The festivities wrap up with Sindoor Khela and visarjan on the final day, much like the bigger celebrations back in Kolkata. Sindoor Khela is a traditional Durga Puja ritual in which married Bengali women apply vermilion to one another as the festivities draw to a close. (Image Credits: iStock) Held at Rohi Villa Palace Grounds, this is described as a longstanding favourite among Pune’s Durga Puja regulars, known for its idols as much as its daily Pushpanjali and Sandhya Aarti. The pandal also practises eco-friendly methods in its setup and draws steady crowds to its food stalls through the evenings. Floral decorations and intricate details highlight the artistry of Goddess Durga idols displayed during the annual festival. (Image Credits: iStock) Located on Range Hill, this is considered one of the city’s key community hubs for Durga Puja, serving as an anchor point for celebrations around Khadki. It’s a good starting point if you’re combining pandal hopping with a wider look at the city, given how central it is to the area’s festivities. Devotees gather at Durga Puja pandals to offer prayers and take part in rituals that bring local communities together. (Image Credits: iStock) These pandals are scattered across very different parts of Pune, from Shivaji Nagar and Koregaon Park in the older city to Balewadi and Pashan further out, so it’s worth clustering a visit around two or three in the same stretch rather than crossing the city in one evening. As with most Durga Puja celebrations, crowds peak on Ashtami and Navami evenings, when aartis and cultural programmes draw the biggest turnout, so going earlier in the evening makes for a smoother visit. Food stalls selling Bengali snacks and sweets tend to run through most evenings regardless, making it easy to turn a single pandal visit into a longer outing. Visitors can explore decorated pandals, attend cultural programmes and enjoy festive food while planning their Durga Puja outings. (Image Credits: iStock)