Bengaluru's Oikotan Durgotsav to pay homage to Kolkata Durga Puja celebrations

Bengaluru: The iconic Kolkata Durga Puja celebrations will come alive this time in Bengaluru as the Oikotan Hebbal Durgotsav-2022 will pay homage to 'Bonedi Baris', the traditional aristocratic households of the West Bengal capital.

Titled "Phire Dekho Kolkata", the Durga Puja at Hebbal this year will reminisce about Kolkata.

The festival, which will start from October 1, captures the iconic and unforgettable images of Kolkata seen through the lens of the Durga Puja celebrations in Bonedi Baris (traditional aristocratic households) of yesteryear Bengal, the organisers said in a statement.

"As Kolkata’s Durga Puja proudly finds its way into the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list, Oikotan Hebbal Durgotsav's 10th year celebrations pays homage to this remarkable achievement by bringing a slice of Kolkata's 18th century Durga Puja celebrations to Bengaluru through an extraordinary visual experience to visitors," the organisers said.

Oikotan Hebbal Durgotsav has earned a formidable reputation in Bengaluru for its unique theme pandals, the organisers said adding that this time the decorations are deeply inspired by the iconic Jorasanko Thakur Bari, which the Kolkata pandal artists will shape.

According to the organisers, Jorasanko Thakur Bari, which is currently located inside the Rabindra Bharati University campus in north Kolkata, is the ancestral home of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore.

In the past, Oikotan's theme parks were based on themes like 'Mayurpankhi' boat (peacock feather boat), Channapatna toys from Karnataka, Bishnupur Terracotta Temple of Bengal and Sonar Kella -- the golden fortress.

The four days of festivities will be marked by a series of Hindu ritualistic traditions followed with religious fervour at Oikotan, the organisers said.