South City Mall Durga Puja 2026 Pandal Construction Update — The Bamboo Structure Grows Taller
If you're catching up, here's where this story started: the Khuti Puja announcement, followed by our coverage of the actual ceremony held on the day itself. This post picks up the thread from there, tracking how the physical pandal is shaping up.
From a Bare Skeleton to a Full-Height Frame
The last time we checked on this site, the structure was still a low, single-layer triangular frame — the very early bones of what was to come. In this latest update, the difference is hard to miss. The bamboo scaffolding has grown noticeably taller, now standing multiple storeys high, with a dense, layered lattice of poles running vertically and diagonally across the entire structure. Workers can be seen right at the top, tying and securing the highest sections by hand, the same way pandal artisans across Kolkata have built these frames for generations — no cranes, no machinery, just skill, balance, and a lot of rope.
The site sits directly against the mall's glass façade, and the scale of the frame now genuinely competes with the building behind it. Pedestrians and passers-by pause to look up, which is usually a good early sign that a pandal is generating the kind of curiosity that turns into footfall once the doors open for Durgotsab.
What This Stage of Construction Actually Means
For those less familiar with how a pandal comes together, this phase — sometimes called the "kathamo" or skeleton stage — is arguably the most physically demanding part of the entire build. Every pole in this frame will eventually carry the weight of cloth, decorative panels, lighting rigs, and in many cases, elaborate artistic installations. Getting the skeleton right, with proper bracing and load distribution, is what allows everything that comes later — the artwork, the murals, the thematic elements — to actually hold up through weeks of festival footfall.
The fact that South City's structure has reached this height so early, well before Mahalaya, suggests the organisers are giving themselves generous runway for the detailing work that typically takes the longest — cladding, artwork application, and lighting design.
A Pattern Worth Watching
What's interesting about tracking a debut Puja like this one is getting to see the entire build process end to end — something long-established clubs rarely document as visibly, since their construction routines are old news to regular followers. South City, being new to this, is generating exactly the kind of construction-stage content that Puja enthusiasts love following closely.
Given the pace so far — from Khuti Puja in mid-July to a multi-storey frame already standing within weeks — this Puja looks to be on a fairly ambitious construction timeline. It also lines up with the broader seasonal rhythm we've discussed before, where the window following Rath Yatra tends to be when Kolkata's pandal construction activity genuinely kicks into gear across the city.
What We're Watching Next
As the skeleton stage nears completion, here's what typically follows on a build of this scale:
- Cladding and covering — the bare bamboo frame gets wrapped in cloth, tarpaulin, or decorative material depending on the theme.
- Artwork and structural detailing — this is where the actual theme, whatever South City eventually reveals in full, starts becoming visible.
- Lighting installation — usually one of the last stages, and often what makes a pandal truly come alive after dark.
- Idol arrival — worth watching for any confirmation on whether the murti is coming from Kumartuli, as is tradition for most major Kolkata Pujas.
Final Word
Watching a mall of this scale commit to a full traditional bamboo build — rather than a prefabricated or modular structure — says a lot about how seriously South City is approaching its first-ever Durga Puja. We'll keep tracking the site as it moves from skeleton to finished pandal, so if you're following South City's debut Durgotsab journey, this is one construction diary worth bookmarking.
For real-time updates and behind-the-scenes glimpses, follow South City Mall's official Facebook page, and stay tuned to Durga Puja of Kolkata for the next construction update as the pandal takes further shape.
