Durga Puja is the grandest festival in Bengal, India! “Write an essay on Durga Puja,” was what my teachers often commanded in school! Since those growing up years, Durga Puja in Kolkata has been an integral part of my life. I grew up writing about Durga Puja festival in various forms of description from the first standard to high school examination and happily so.
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Durga Puja in Kolkata
Durga Puja in Kolkata always evokes waves of nostalgia and unleashes an avalanche of memories. Because Durgapuja, unlike other festivals, would come with numerous harbingers. A prolonged monsoon, a few cyclones from the Bay of Bengal, a half-yearly examination, long planning of shopping.
Visiting exotic villages of Bengal (read Fulia or Bishnupur, and last but not the least – Gariahat) to buy the authentic saree, making and altering the blouse style, buying a few literary editions of Shardiya Pujabarshiki (an annual publication of a magazine, with fine literary work from the stalwarts, full of advertisement from Dulal’s Talmichri to K C Das Umbrella).
Sprawling fields filled with ivory white, feather-like Kash flower, pandals made with zeal for a week, idols shaped from Gangetic clay for months, a holiday on the Biswakarma Puja day (believed to be the God of industry) and so many other nuances!
Then the festivity beckons. For five days, the city slips into a mass hysteria of “Puja Parikrama”, meaning going out with the family to visit Durga Puja pandals, eating Bhog and Biryani with the same devotion, performing many rituals of Durga Puja, wearing the best of dresses and immerse the Idol with a heavy heart on the last day of Durga Puja, Dashami.
A brief history of Durga Puja in Kolkata
History has it the first Durga puja of Kolkata started with direct contribution and endorsement from the East India Company and the Bengali Zamindars who would celebrate the festival with much enthusiasm and invest heap-load of money, often amounting to INR 50 million in today’s currency! That is huge! From Baiji dance to inviting an entire village for three meals a day for a month, the elites of the past knew a different definition of grandeur.
However, the economic slump, looming world war, and many other factors contributed to the receding fund and it died down in the 1930s.
The Birth of Barwari Puja in Bengal!
Durga Puja, however, did not lose its spirit but was being hosted by crowdfunding and other means of contribution. Thus was born the first-ever Barwari (a community based) Durga Puja in Kolkata. The rest of the Bengal followed soon after. The celebration of Durgapuja happens in Tripura, Assam, Odisha and among the Bengalis who live in different parts of the world. Rest of India celebrates Navaratri at the time, with Garba and Raas in Gujarat being another spectacular event!
Every year, Durga Puja takes place in the month of Aswin, the Hindu month. It ranges between September and October. State government announces 10 days of holidays in Bengal during the Puja!
The Days of Durga Puja, from Mahalaya to Dashami!
Mahalaya marks her stepping down to the Earth, with four children by the side. The All India Radio airs a Mahalaya special episode at 5 am in the morning, which was directed and recorded by Birendrakishor Bhadra in the days of yore. As you play the Agomoni of Mahalaya, you know Durga Puja has commenced for the next 10 days!
The prime of Durga Puja, however, is shortlived, for 3 days only! Starting from Saptami (the seventh day) to Navami (the ninth day). Dashami or the day of Bijaya (the tenth and the last day of Durga Puja) means going out to meet family and eating the best of Bengal’s sweetmeat! The idol gets immersed in the river Ganges on the last day!
The making of Durga Idols at Kumartuli, North Kolkata
To watch the Durga idols being made with love and care, you need to make numerous visits to Kumartuli, the potters’ hub in North Kolkata by the banks of river Ganges. The idols are generally made on a straw framework, with clay being applied, dried under sun rays, coloured with natural hues, smeared with Gorjon oil to add the extra glow which makes the idol look almost alive! Kumartumi walk is a must for any photography enthusiasts’ visit in Kolkata. The entry fee is only Rs 10!
The Much Coveted Puja Shopping!
Post which you must experience the “Puja-shopping” in Kolkata! Consumer companies and brands along with hospitality partners like restaurants and hotels participate eagerly! The areas like Park Street, Esplanade, New Market, Goriahat, Shyambazar the typical shopping hubs of Kolkata are beaming with million footfalls! From sarees to upholstery, it is time to buy everything and anything, to bring a touch of newness to the life in general!
Nostalgia, North Kolkata and Durga Puja in Kolkata!
The Northern part of Kolkata is 300 years old. It is the quintessential romantic part of the city. Everything is a direct yield of heritage feel! From the Kumartuli idol makers’ houses, walk towards Bagbazar ghat or Ahiritola ghat, you will find a few profound Mandaps (the temporary bamboo made palatial houses in which Idols are housed). Make sure to pay a visit to them as you explore the narrow lanes of North Kolkata and eat at the heritage cafes (Niranjan Agar opposite Girish park, Mitra Cafe opposite Soivabazar Metro route).
Bonedi Barir Puja
The North Kolkata is also the primary place where numerous Bonedi Barir Duyrga pujas take place. Once the Zamindars of rural Bengal, and elites of Bengali progressive thinking societies, these Bonedi Baris are often termed as Rajbaris (the royal houses) where Durga Puja is celebrated with unique rituals. Bhog (the thali offered to the goddess) is often cooked in a certain way in certain elite families, staying true to the past and reflecting on the family’s heritage.
The Special Celebrations of a Durga Puja in Kolkata you must not Miss!
We rent a car for a few nights and go for Pandal-hopping for the whole night on certain days of Puja. The crowd is unbelievable as plenty of people visit Kolkata during Durga Puja, apart from the Kolkatan. Standing in a long queue and waiting for hours to enter a pandal is not very unlikely. To avoid that, I suggest you choose to go at the wee hours of the day!
If possible, try and get a pass. A VIP pass is more like a press card which will help you skip the crowd and get a closer place to the idol. Often, the pass is overtly priced but is totally worth if you want to make it fast.
The day of Ashtami is of the prime importance of Durga Puja. The morning puja sees devotees in line to offer Anjalai, offer flowers to the idol. Ashtami Bhog is served from every pandal and generally consists of Khichri, Labra, Payesh!
In the evening, people engage in dance in the rhythm of Dhaak and dance with Dhunuchi, an earthen pot lit with fire and coal! Dhunuchi dance is a spectacular event and is a chance to make the quivering lovers’ eyes meet in a particular locality. After all, what is a Durga puja if it does not involve love?
Like every good thing, Durga Puja too comes to an end on the day of Dashami. We ply with the trucks to immerse the idol in Ganga or any river nearby. The Bisarjan or Immersion really is a huge event in Kolkata where the grandest of Durga Idols are showcased at one place and appreciated on the state level by the government. I suggest you book the ferry that lets you take a closer look at the immersion of Durga idols in Ganga!
The Festival beyond Religious Identity!
Durga puja festival has its unbound charm played on each and every resident of West Bengal where the grand event impacts every life, irrespective of caste and creed. It is an inclusive festival that has long surpassed a specific religious identity and welcomes people of a different faith (and no faith), skilled artisans, thinkers, dreamers in a single ground and inspire to create better! The reason why, Durga puja means we Bengalis binge eat on Khichri and Biryani at the same time, queue up to watch the latest movie release, wear the new clothes and forget worldly woes!
Reading this post hope you are convinced as to why you must visit Kolkata for Durga Puja.
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Oh my goodness, this article truly made me want to experience this. More so to see the grandeur and the colours.
Thank you for sharing this post really great and wonderful article. You are talking about Durga Puja in Kolkata, which is really well-written.
I know very little about India and really appreciated getting to know more about this festival. The photo of the decorated Durga Puja in Kolkata is gorgeous. Reminds me of a fanciful ice palace. I’ve very intrigued by the dancing event and that it is is so inclusive.
How wonderful this festival sounds. I would love to attend but only if I were with a local or Indian family. I’d definitely want that VIP or Press Card to avoid some of the crowds and lines – never my favorite things. It’s all so marvelous and how I love the Mother in all her incarnations.
It was fascinating to read through this entire process. From the prep to the actual celebration. I would love to be able to witness some of this. Reading through this post made me remember the various tales that you shared during our travel