Durga Puja is often described as a festival of art, yet packaging has shaped it for generations. From parcels of imported foil that named a decorative style to today’s plastic-free pandal rules, Durga Puja packaging reveals how materials, trade and sustainability meet in one of India’s biggest celebrations.
How Postal Parcels Named Daker Saaj
Daker Saaj, the shimmering ornamentation on Durga idols, takes its name from “dak”, the Bengali word for post. Business Standard reports that wealthy patrons decorated idols with silver and gold foil sheets imported from Germany through the postal service.1 In other words, a shipping channel gave an art form its name. The same report notes that lighter shola pith ornamentation is easier to transport, which keeps it popular with diaspora families.1
Natural Materials Set the Original Eco-Packaging Model
Traditional materials offer useful lessons in designing for festivals.
UNESCO’s inscription of Durga Puja in Kolkata describes idols sculpted from unfired Ganga clay and immersed in the river from which the clay came, amid large-scale installations and pavilions built across urban areas.2 This practice is the festival’s oldest sustainability lesson although its overall impact depends on paints, decorations and immersion conditions. Food service followed a similar logic. In Guwahati, committees chose earthen cups and banana or leaf plates to serve prasad such as khichdi and payash, alongside decorations made from bamboo, jute sacking and mats.3
The 2022 Thermocol Turning Point
On 1 July 2022, the Government of India banned identified single-use plastic items, including polystyrene, just months before the festival.4 Each year many organisers choose a social theme, so pandals depend on lightweight, easily shaped materials. Artisans who relied on thermocol had to rethink their designs, and Outlook India reported that makers explored iron, paper, clay, fibreglass and cloth.4 Packaging regulation, not just tradition, now steers festival design.
Permission Rules Now Target Plastic
Compliance has moved into paperwork. A municipal permission declaration for Durga Puja in the HMC area asks committees to confirm that idols use natural materials such as clay and bamboo, with no plaster of Paris.5 It also requires adherence to West Bengal Pollution Control Board directions prohibiting single-use plastic, including carry bags under 75 microns and polystyrene.5 Paper and plastic decorations must be removed before immersion.5 India’s national rules on plastic carry bags have also evolved: the minimum permitted thickness increased to 120 microns from 31 December 2022. Organisers should therefore verify the latest applicable central, state and municipal requirements before selecting materials.
For committees, packaging choices are now a compliance question as well as a design one.
Bhog, Prasad and the Carry-Bag Challenge
Takeaway packaging is the next frontier. In September 2025, Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation urged devotees not to carry bhog in polythene bags, noting that Durga Puja adds an extra 200 metric tonnes to the city’s solid waste.6 For packaging suppliers, that points to demand for compostable, paper-based and reusable formats suited to food offerings.
What the Packaging Industry Can Take From Durga Puja
Durga Puja shows that packaging works best when it respects ritual, handles real-world logistics and leaves little behind. Brands selling sweets, gifts and festive hampers can apply the same principles: natural fibres, easy recyclability and clear disposal guidance. As Durga Puja packaging rules tighten, suppliers who offer practical plastic-free alternatives will be well placed to serve the festive season. Design choices that travel well, look good in festive photographs and break down cleanly will matter most.
Sources
1. Business Standard, report on Daker Shaj (2011). https://business-standard.com/article/beyond-business/not-in-vogue-111082800027_1.html
2. UNESCO, “Durga Puja in Kolkata”, Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity (2021). https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/durga-puja-in-kolkata-00703
3. The Telegraph, “Plastic-free pandals in Guwahati” (4 October 2019). https://obeta.ttef.in/north-east/plastic-free-pandals-in-guwahati/cid/1709871
4. Outlook India, “Centre’s Thermocol Ban Puts Artisans In Fix Ahead Of Durga Puja In West Bengal”. https://outlookindia.com/national/centre-s-thermocol-ban-puts-artisans-in-fix-ahead-of-durga-puja-in-west-bengal-news-222448
5. Declaration format for Durga/Kali/Jagadhatri Puja committees, HMC area permission (2022). https://www.myhmc.in/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Under-taking-of-Durga-puja-letter-new.pdf
6. Odisha Bytes, “BMC Urges People In Bhubaneswar To Avoid Carrying Prasad In Plastic Bags During Durga Puja”. https://odishabytes.com/bmc-urges-people-in-bhubaneswar-to-avoid-carrying-prasad-in-plastic-bags-during-durga-puja/
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