Kolkatar Barir Pujo (Part 1)

Durga Pujo is not just a festival celebrated for a few days in the month of September or October ( Ashwin to be precise). The scale of its grandeur is higher than every other festival put together in Bengal. Lazy, homesick and nostalgic Bangalis wait for months to get their pujo holidays approved so that they can spend a few days basking in the glory of the Mother Goddess who too comes in for a holiday at her maternal home. Thus, the stage is set for a grand carnival where Gods and Goddesses as well as mortals rejoice together in the perfect mood for a holiday.

Hara Gouri idol at Bholanath Dham, Beadon Street

Yes, that's how we know Maa Durga. Even though she is widely worshipped in her Mahishashuramardini form, to us she is the daughter coming back to her maternal home with her children. Bangla folk lore refers to Her as Uma or Gouri coming down to earth from her heavenly abode. In some houses she is still worshipped as the benevolent giver, Gouri beside an idol of Shiva. Several aristocratic households of Kolkata have preserved the tradition of worshipping "Hara Gouri"- the couple along with their children. To them it is their daughter visiting them once a year. Weapons, violence and the entire concept of Mahishashura do not find a place there. Isn't it strange how one festival worshipping one Goddess has so many tales surrounding it and so many strains of beliefs co-existing?

















Kolkata witnesses two kinds of pujos- the Sarbojanin Durgotsav happening at almost every street and para and the lesser known traditional festivities happening at the age old aristocratic houses in the city. Reminding us of the lost grandeur of the babus of Kolkata some 200-300 years back, the pujas in these houses still continue to happen, though at a much lower scale. With lesser manpower and bigger pocket strains, some houses have discontinued the tradition of Durga Pujo while others are still holding on to them as much as they can. But these few houses clinging on to tradition and history make Kolkata one of the most interesting cities still alive with glimpses of the glorious past.

I got particularly interested with the bonedi barir pujos a few years back as the competition for theme based pandals had started to bore me. Being traditional at the core of my heart, I returned back to tradition to seek something new and what I found made me feel awed. I started reading up articles, write ups and interviews to know about the treasure house of rich cultural heritage lying in these few houses. There is no end to knowing and I have just began to place little steps ahead in search of such living instances of the magnificent past.

On the event of Rathyatra, the structure of the goddess is made. For many families, it marks the beginning of the grand celebration. The entire family of Maa Durga and her children are fit into an "ekchala" frame to signify their completeness as a family. She is adorned in "daaker saaj" that now mostly comes from Krishnanagar. Traditionally, at first there was only milky white "sholar saaj" adorning the goddesses worshipped in the households. Later, when Durga Pujo became a status symbol for the babus, the adornments for the goddess became grander. The white "shola" got covered in silver foil and colourful sequins for a dazzling aura. However, such silver foil and sequins were not in production in India during that time. They came by mail or "daak" from Germany and hence it came to be known as "daaker saaj" (embellishments through mail). The cost of such added grandeur was naturally very high since the raw materials needed to be imported from foreign lands. Thus, it could only be afforded by the richest families to uphold their status symbol. Nowadays, daaker saaj is the only form in which we see the idols at the bonedi houses. However, the saddest part is workers who create such magnificent "daaker saaj" for the goddess have drastically reduced in number and are mostly concentrated in Krishnanagar. With dark, long-drawn eyes, dazzling daaker saaj and traditional jewellery, the image of the goddess never fails to arouse faith in your heart. You can stare at her divine form for hours and for years and yet never have enough of it. Perhaps that's what divinity is.

It is not only the grand architecture of these age old houses or the long, checkered "thakurdalan" that gives an awe-inspiring look to the entire affair. The adherence to tradition and simplicity in which the grand festivity is carried out is where the real charm lies. There is nothing to sell, nothing to compete. It's all plain tradition, tales, history and art blending into one divine whole.

The series of blogs on "Kolkatar Barir Pujo" shall continue where I would like to share my little gained knowledge of the tales and history behind some of the best barir pujos of Kolkata, the transformation of the look of the goddess, the significance of the rituals followed and different ways in which she is adorned. Keep following if you like the first one of the series.