The most important and the most popular of all Bengali festivals is the
Durgapuja. It is celebrated throughout the state, but with great grandeur in Kolkata.
There are some ancestral houses in Kolkata where Durgapuja is being observed over decades
and even over centuries.
The oldest of these is the one observed at Barisha in the heritage
house of Sabarna Chowdhurys. Roy Lakshmikanta Majumdar of this family sold the three
parganas of Kalikata, Sutanuti and Gobindapur to the East India Company in lieu of one
thousand three hundred rupees only. The Puja here, almost 400 years old, is a unique blend
of Shakta and Vaishnava faiths.
Another very old Durgapuja is observed by the Duttas of Hathkhola.
One section of this family celebrates Durgapuja at their house on Nimtolla Ghat street.
The older Puja is observed at the house on Madanmohan Dutta Lane at Buro Shivtala.
The present heirs of Chhatubabu and Latubabu observe Durgapujas
in their ancestral house in North Kolkata. Ramdulal Dey, who founded the family, was known
for his enormous donations for various noble causes.
Debs, another ancient family of Kolkata hold two Durgapujas in
their two houses, opposite each other. The older one is at the house of Gopimohan Deb and
the other at the ancestral house of Rajkrishna Deb, both heir to Nabakrishna Deb, a
luminary in the history of Bengal during the eighteenth century.
Duttas of Thanthania belong to a very ancient family that dates
back to the eleventh century. Their present abode Dwarika Bhavan was erected by
Dwarikanath Dutta. He started Durgapuja in the family.
Durgapuja in Chunders’ House was started in their Thakur
Dalan in 1877 by Ganesh Chunder, after whose name there is an important road. His grandson
Nirmal Chunder became an eminent politician in the pre-independence days.
Durgapuja in the house of Mitras of Darjipara also bears a
tradition. Off Chittaranjan Avenue, the house is behind Chhatubabu-Latubabus’
residence.
Rani Rasmoni was a noble lady of rare courage and individuality
in 19th Century Bengal. She spend quite a lot for stopping foreign steamers
sailing on the Ganga in order to allow the local fishermen to fish in the Ganga. She built
the Bhabatarini temple at Dakshineswar., now famous for its association with the great
saint Sri Ramakrishna. In the ancestral house of Rani Rasmoni in Central Kolkata,
Durgapura is celebrated on a grand scale.
The images in all these houses have characteristics of their own. And
the mode of worship as well as rituals attached with it vary from family to family.
During Durgapuja, every locality in Kolkata has one or more puja. For
the four or five festive days, pandals are erected, decorated and illuminated with great
care and imagination. That the whole city looks like one great festival site is mostly due
to these Puja pandals who vie with one another in every respect – from image making
& decoration to illumination.
Some such Pujas are conducted by local clubs like Ballygunge Samajsebi,
Jodhpur Park Sarbojanin, Ekdalia Evergreen, Park Circus Maidan, Mohammad Ali Park, College
Square, Baghbazar Sarbojanin, Kumartuli (the locality famous for making clay images of
gods and goddesses), Rabindra Kanan, Simla Byayam Samiti, Durgabari and many many others
over the length and breadth of Kolkata.
During Durgapuja, West Bengal Tourism operates conducted tours to
traditional pujas in heritage houses in the mornings and afternoons and to Puja Pandals
through the night.
River cruise by luxary vessel on the day of immersion
of the images of godess Durga.
