Sept. 19: The calendar may show Mahalaya but Puja has already begun for the city. The frenzy of pandal-hoppers at Sree Bhumi Sporting Club this evening could easily match the Panchami crowd count.

If the morning began with Birendra Krishna Bhadra's baritone rendition of Mahishasurmardini, the evening saw thousands thronging the pandal built on the lines of Mahishmati palace from the Bahubali films.

Two elephants stood at the entrance and eight guards with their swords drawn were positioned on either side of the courtyard.

Pandal-hoppers - young and not-so-young - armed with selfie sticks and cameras could be spotted at the pandal off VIP Road that chief minister Mamata Banerjee inaugurated yesterday.

Entry inside the pandal was, however, barred and guards and club members made sure no one was able to sneak in for a glimpse of the goddess. For that, pandal-hoppers would have to wait till September 22, the organisers said.

Anurag Saraf, 15, however, was a lucky exception. The guards gave the specially abled boy permission to step in. "I am very happy my son could see the idol properly. Puja days will be too crowded and it would be impossible for me to navigate his wheelchair," said father Arun, who runs a transport business.

Others had to be content capturing the pandal from various angles on their smartphones and DSLRs.

The music track from the Bahubali films added to the ambience.

The principal of The BSS School, Sunita Sen, was among the early birds. The first pandal on her list was Sree Bhumi. "I was not the only one to come here today, there were others too. The advantage was that I could take my car straight up to the pandal. On my way back I dropped in at a few other pandals but they were not ready," said Sen, who has the next few days to "cover as many pujas as possible" before she leaves for Delhi on Monday.

Sujoy Koley of New Town dropped in with his wife and son and a promise to return when the pandal was opened.