CM to lay foundation stone of Durga Angan on Monday
Times of India | 25 December 2025
Kolkata: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will lay the foundation stone of Durga Angan, a temple complex dedicated to Durga, in New Town on Monday.
To be built on a 15-acre plot opposite Eco Park at an estimated cost of Rs 262 crore, the temple complex will be the biggest in the country.
Hidco, which had been behind the Digha Jagannath Dham, will execute this project. It is also building the Mahakal Mandir in Siliguri. "Durga Angan will be dedicated to Durga and the complex will also host temples of Shiva and Durga's four children. The foundation stone laying ceremony by the CM is slated for Monday," said Hidco chairperson and minister Chandrima Bhattacharya.
The preliminary preparation to develop the ground has already begun. An official said it would take close to two years for the project to be completed. A trust will be formed to oversee the construction and manage the temple complex, said a govt official.
It was at the July 21 Martyrs' Day rally this year that CM Banerjee announced plans to set up a permanent Durga temple. The state cabinet approved the plan, following which the tourism department and Hidco were asked to identify a suitable place in or around the city for the temple complex.
Four years ago, Unesco conferred the ‘World Intangible Heritage' tag on Durga Puja. A state official said this global recognition had prompted this initiative to set up the Durga temple complex, with an aim to create a place of worship as well as tourist attraction, similar to the Jagannath temple in Digha.
The official pointed out that the Unesco tag had also elicited interest in Durga Puja from people across the country and abroad. "Once set up, ‘Durga Angan' will showcase the vibrant cultural heritage of Durga Puja round the year," said the official.