Bengal counts down to Durga Puja. Idol-making, Mahalaya and Pujo look reels filled Instagram Oct 2-8; Google searches for Durga Puja confirm it.
The spike
Social got to it first: most views on the hand-checked posts came from posts up by Oct 6; Google searches peaked on Oct 11.Based on the 37 posts we hand-checked as about this trend; the wider social count also picked up unrelated posts, so it isn't shown.
Why it’s trending
Pujo is the feeling of home. People start living it weeks early, with their eyes on the idols.
What’s happening
Durga Puja starts Oct 17 and Mahalaya was Oct 10. On social, Bengalis are posting idols being painted and carried out of Kumartuli, Mahalaya nostalgia, pandal plans, Pujo food and saree looks. Searches for Durga Puja confirm the build-up.
What content is working
Trending hashtags
The tags people used most on posts about this trend, ranked by number of posts. Generic tags like #fyp and #viral are left out.
- #durgapuja 2,383 posts
- #durgapujo 1,954 posts
- #kolkata 1,412 posts
- #durgapuja2026 1,196 posts
- #kolkatadurgapuja 545 posts
- #bengali 354 posts
- #mahalaya 736 posts
- #maadurga 346 posts
- #pujo 293 posts
- #pujo2026 370 posts
Sentiment
Automatic sentiment labels across 10,611 posts and 400 comments.
The other side · what’s negative
What people are saying in comments
This song brings memories when we woke up and watched the programme at 5am in DD Nationals.
Cute tote and cute pujo plans, what more do we need
Thanks for bringing back the memory.
For me, this is just what Pujo is all about ... Apart from Khichuri
No idea what this song means but its a vibe
Three looks, and each one has its own Durga Pujo charm
Please make kolkata durga puja 4 day guide .
Tag your pandal hopping group Pujo ese geche
The content strategy we observed
Creators share relatable Puja feelings, food plans, Mahalaya memories and idol close-ups.
Videos open on a shared feeling or a question: Maa Durga's arrival getting close, what you plan to eat on each Pujo day, a boy marking a calendar.#1 #2 #3
The animation tells a small story: a boy marks a calendar, sits with his grandfather at the radio, then the family watches the Durga story.#3
A relatable reel, a question about food plans (biryani, fish fry or mutton), a quick-cut montage of idols at named pandals and a close-up of clay sculpting.#1 #2 #4 #5
Warm and shared: they name a feeling every Bengali has right now and invite people to reply with their own plans, or lean on Mahalaya memory.#1 #2 #3
The top videos went up between Oct 3 and Oct 8: all 10 before Google searches peaked on Oct 11. Social views peaked on Oct 10.#1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6 #7 #8 #9 #10
Post one short reel that names a Pujo feeling or asks people their plan for each day, and invite replies before search peaks.
What can brands do?
Pujo look in 3 shades
“'Ashtami look sorted' - one bare face, then a saree and a full Pujo look on the beat.”
- Format
- Reel: bare-face to full Pujo look, one product per day
- Platform
- Instagram Reels
- Who posts
- Bengali beauty creators and makeup artists
- Caption
- Pujo is coming. Which day is your look? Ashtami red, Navami black, Dashami gold.
- When to post
- Until Dashami, Oct 21
- Watch out
- Use licensed festive songs; no religious imagery on product packaging.