Durga Puja is no longer just a ritual of flowers, sweets, and devotion. In Kolkata, Delhi, Varanasi, Patna, Noida, or Ghaziabad, it has evolved into India’s most powerful cultural marketplace—where spirituality blends seamlessly with fashion, commerce, and consumerism. What was once an intimate community
celebration is now a billion-dollar spectacle of lights, pandals, food, and advertising extravaganzas.
Kolkata Puja has political tinge too. There is Operation Sindoor and against it to various pujas known by their godfathers, from different political parties.
The economics are staggering. A British Council study in 2019 pegged Bengal’s Puja creative economy at Rs 32,377 crore, accounting for 2.58 percent of the state’s GDP. By 2023, that figure had soared to nearly Rs 84,000 crore, and in 2025, market estimates suggest it crosses the Rs 1 lakh crore mark. Bengal alone is estimated to have around Rs 50,000 crore investment and rest spread to other regions, including the Garba in Gujarat and Mumbai. Even advertising tied directly to Pujo was worth nearly Rs 90 crore in 2019—and has since multiplied several times with the rise of digital campaigns, influencer-led marketing, and out-of-home branding.
The GST cuts or not have nothing to do with it. Market observers note that volume of sales, including gold,
have not increased but total value is on the upside as prices surged. Some interesting studies note that
contraceptives sale bounce during the festivities in western India.
A Bangladesh link is visible in sales of Dhakai saris and other apparels from Opar Bangla. Something that costs in Dhaka may be around Rs 250 or less fetches ten times or more in Kolkata or Epar Bangla. This is even during these turbulent Dhaka times.
For brands, Durga Puja stands as the second-largest advertising season, often commanding 8–10 percent of national festive budgets and as high as 25–30 percent for regional powerhouses in Bengal and the East. Across categories, advertisers are loosening purse strings. FMCG majors like Hindustan Unilever and ITC,
jewellery brands such as Tanishq, electronics players like Samsung and LG, and auto giants including Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai are leading the charge. E-commerce platforms like Amazon and Flipkart are amplifying their Puja promotions to outpace rivals ahead of the Diwali season, while regional saree labels, confectionery brands, and retail chains are scaling up investments to tap into hyperlocal demand.
Durga Puja spendings in Patna or Varanasi or Guwahati vary from simple community collections for local pujas of around Rs 5 lakh to budgets reaching Rs 25-30 lakh or more for large, renowned pandals, with some extreme cases even approaching Rs 40-50 lakh. This spending is often considered an investment by organizers, covering costs for pandals, idols, decorations, and offerings, and generating livelihood opportunities for artisans, electricians, and vendors.
Classical Concerts
Patna is also known for classical music concerts. Music wizards wait to perform before the connoisseurs. That has separate costs with large fundings pouring in from a number of groups. These include some big jewellers to IndusInd Bank, Tata Tiscon, Coca- Cola, Eco Water, and lifestyle brands ranging from salons to food chains, alongside local sponsors. The Danapur Club boasts of being “powered by Redknife”
Ask anyone in Delhi’s CR Park and they’ll tell you that the artistry of the pandals is half the joy of Pujo. Each committee spends months planning, sketching, and bringing to life themes that capture Bengal’s heritage and imagination. Cooperative Ground Durga Puja is reimagining the golden Sonar Qila of Jaisalmer, made famous by Satyajit Ray’s classic Sonar Kella.
At B Block, the theme is Mother Earth, with the entire pandal crafted in earthy hues, lit up by an awe-inspiring 50,000 diyas, and complemented by Chandannagar’s famed illumination. Meanwhile, Mela Ground—the biggest of them all—is recreating the grandeur of Mahishadal Rajbari, a 16th-century palace from East Medinipur. The CR Park pujas vie with Kolkata in opulence.
The mystery is the way money collected from a variety of sources, from corporate or big biz sponsorship and in bits of donations from members, residents, and local shops.
Beyond Kolkata
The Puja economy spreads far beyond the pandals of Kolkata. Across West Bengal, hundreds of thousands of livelihoods are tied to the festival. Idol-makers in Kumartuli, bamboo artisans, electricians, light decorators, dhakis (drummers), and performers all depend on the season for the bulk of their annual earnings.
Hotels run at near full occupancy, restaurants record their highest footfall of the year, and transport services—from yellow taxis to app-based rides—see demand peak. Rural economies also thrive, with smaller towns and villages building elaborate pandals, fuelling local trade in fabrics, jewellery, food, and handicrafts.
The festival has also become a global draw. Since UNESCO recognised Kolkata’s Durga Puja in 2021 as an Intangible Cultural Heritage, cultural tourism has surged. Tourists from the diaspora and abroad now book Bengal tours during Pujo.
From Devotion to Commerce The evolution of Pujo is most visible in the way celebrations are designed. Pandals have become immersive experiences—replicas of temples, palaces, and world monuments, complete with soundscapes, lighting, and augmented reality add-ons. Each year, thousands of clubs compete to outdo one another in scale, artistry, and innovation.
This transformation has made Pujo a prime moment for consumer engagement. Product launches, beauty trials, fashion showcases, digital campaigns, and musical performances are woven into the festival calendar. From trial zones inside pandals to tech-enabled “virtual darshan” for senior citizens, every idea is designed to link consumption with celebration. For younger audiences, Pujo nights are now as much about concerts, street food, and social media as they are about devotion. For older generations, it remains about
rituals, family gatherings, and community bonding – keeping faith at its core while adapting to new lifestyles and aspirations.
Culture as an Economic Engine
Durga Puja is no longer just Bengal’s festival—it is India’s case study in how culture can be an economic force. It combines devotion, creativity, commerce, and tourism into a single phenomenon, sustaining industries and shaping consumer habits.
For West Bengal, it is identity and pride. For the economy, it is a powerful stimulus. And for ordinary people, it remains both a sacred duty and a joyous carnival.
In the end, Durga Puja demonstrates a uniquely Indian truth: festivals are not merely celebrations, they are
economic engines, cultural powerhouses, and platforms of innovation—all while keeping the goddess at the centre of it all.
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