Durga Puja in Cuttack

Cuttack during the pujas is a claustrophobic's nightmare. The cramped city doesn’t allow the luxury of expansive pandals that one would see in Calcutta or even in Bhubaneswar. In spite of that, in Cuttack, however small the pandal is, the idols therein are invariably beautiful and the filigree background exquisite and resplendent.

When one enters into the crowded streets on a two-wheeler, despair sets in. the streets are filled with cars, motorbikes, bicycles, rickshaws, not to mention a veritable sea of people on feet. The routes are one-way. It requires an almost meditative attention on the part of the uninitiated to traverse the labyrinth. After some time, however, one gets used to it. The beauty of one pandal spurs you to go to the next.
It's another matter, however, if your vehicle breaks down in between.

The resident of Cuttack celebrates the puja with a fervour inconceivable by the naive outsider. Being a witness to it will always remain a memorable experience.