CR Park Durga Puja draws long queues during Maha Saptami

Chittaranjan Park’s Durga Puja pandals drew long queues during Maha Saptami, as visitors moved between venues for darshan, dhaak, food stalls and cultural programmes.

Noida resident Soumya Roy, visiting with friends, said the wait recedes as people get closer to the pandal. “You hear the mantras and the dhaak, and don’t even realise how long and tiring the wait was,” he said.

The neighbourhood’s several pandals make it a popular stop for those moving between venues. The CR Park Kali Mandir Society pandal has traditional daaker saaj decor, while Durgotsav offers a more contemporary look. At the Co-operative Ground Durga Puja Samity pandal, visitors were picking up vegetable chops alongside the festivities.

Ananya Sharma, who travelled from Gurugram, said it took her group two hours to reach a pandal. They stayed for dancing at the cultural stage after darshan.