Patna’s Dakbungalow Chauraha to Get an 80-Foot Khajuraho-Themed Durga Puja Pandal

Patna’s Dakbungalow Chauraha to Get an 80-Foot Khajuraho-Themed Durga Puja Pandal

What happens when one of Patna’s busiest landmarks turns into a giant canvas for art, devotion and festive design?

This Durga Puja, Dakbungalow Chauraha is preparing for a striking transformation. A grand pandal inspired by the famous Khajuraho temples of Madhya Pradesh is being built for the festival.

The structure will rise around 80 feet high and 55 feet wide. In addition, the surrounding area will feature 12 large LED gates and elaborate lighting inspired by Chandannagar.

For visitors, the attraction will be more than a place of worship. It is shaping up as a large-scale festive installation where architecture, craftsmanship and tradition come together.

What will the Khajuraho-themed pandal look like?

The main pandal will recreate the visual theme of a Khajuraho temple.

At around 80 feet tall, the structure will dominate the Dakbungalow Chauraha skyline during the celebrations. Its width will reach approximately 55 feet.

The organising committee has given the construction and decoration work to Barik Decorators from Kanthi, West Bengal.

Meanwhile, Ritesh Chatterjee, an artist from Kolkata Art College, has designed the pandal.

The combination brings together traditional festival craftsmanship from West Bengal with a temple-inspired design from Madhya Pradesh, creating a distinctive visual identity for this year’s celebration in Patna.

12 LED gates will add another layer

The main pandal will not be the only attraction.

Between Dakbungalow Chauraha and Kotwali, organisers are creating 12 LED gates. Each gate will stand around 57 feet high and measure approximately 35 feet wide.

The lighting work has been assigned to Bapan Electronics from Chandannagar.

Importantly, the organisers are planning the lighting around a Chandannagar-inspired theme. As a result, the route around the pandal is expected to take on a festive look of its own.

For visitors, the experience will therefore begin before they reach the main pandal.

A Durga idol crafted by a Kolkata sculptor

The artistic focus will continue inside the pandal.

Kolkata-based sculptor Jagannath Pal is creating the idol of Goddess Durga along with the other idols for the puja.

The committee is also sourcing a significant portion of the decorative materials from Bonga, a region near the Bangladesh border in West Bengal.

This gives the celebration another strong connection with the artistic traditions of eastern India.

A Durga Puja tradition dating back to 1964

The Dakbungalow area has a long Durga Puja history.

The celebration began near Dakbungalow Chauraha in 1964. Later, the event came under the banner of the Navayuvak Sangh Durga Puja Samiti Trust, Dakbungalow Road.

Committee president Sanjeev Prasad Tony has been involved in organising the puja since 1980.

That long history adds context to this year’s ambitious design. The Khajuraho-inspired pandal is not a new tradition replacing an old one. Instead, it is the latest chapter in a celebration that has continued for decades.

How much is being spent on the celebration?

The committee said it spent around ₹25 lakh on last year’s puja celebration.

This year’s Khajuraho-themed design, large LED gates and elaborate lighting are expected to make the festival installation another major attraction in central Patna.

However, the appeal is not only about scale.

For local residents and visitors, large Durga Puja installations have become an important part of the city’s festive culture. They bring together artisans, decorators, lighting teams, sculptors, volunteers and visitors.

More than a pandal: a meeting point for art and culture

Patna’s Durga Puja celebrations have increasingly become spaces where different regional art traditions meet.

This year, that mix is especially visible at Dakbungalow.

A Khajuraho-inspired structure from Madhya Pradesh, pandal craftsmanship from West Bengal, Chandannagar-style lighting and a Kolkata sculptor will come together in the heart of Patna.

At the same time, the festival remains rooted in a local tradition that began more than six decades ago.

That combination is what makes the project interesting. It shows how a familiar festival can keep changing while retaining its cultural identity.

Why Dakbungalow could become a major festive attraction

Dakbungalow Chauraha is already one of Patna’s well-known urban landmarks. During Durga Puja, the area attracts additional attention as people move around the city to see decorated pandals.

This year, the 80-foot Khajuraho-themed pandal could add another major visual destination to that festive circuit.

The 12 LED gates will also extend the experience beyond the main structure. Meanwhile, the detailed idol work and decoration will add another layer for visitors to explore.

As the festival approaches, the real test will come when the lights go on and the pandal opens to the public.

For now, one thing is clear: Dakbungalow Chauraha is preparing to turn a familiar Patna landmark into a very different festive landscape.

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