The immersion of the clay idol of the 475-year-old Naskari Durga in Nadia’s Hogolberia is dictated by a myth that stops devotees from taking the idol for immersion through a straightforward and easy route.

The devotees do not dare take the idol for immersion to Saheb Bil in Kuthirghata through the easier route of the main road and instead take a convoluted and bumpy path through paddy fields and ditches along a go dahar (path of cows) to reach the ghat, carrying the idol on their shoulders.

According to local people, the myth says the goddess had ordered in a dream that she wishes to be taken through the go dahar. Whenever attempts were made to take her through the easier route, there were inexplicable accidents, they said.

The puja was started in 1543 when Qazi Fazilat was the governor of Bengal under Sher Shah Suri, the monarch of India.

The Chatterjee family, which conducts the puja, claims that in 1543, a boat belonging to the zamindar of Rajshahi (now in Bangladesh) was carrying a Durga idol when it got stranded in a canal at Hogolberia during a cyclone. That was two days before Durga Puja.

“The goddess then advised the zamindar in a dream to arrange for a puja in Hoglberia. The zamindar found a hermit — Naskar Baba — by the bank and asked him to arrange for the puja,” said Gourpada Chatterjee.

“Naskar Baba arranged for the puja. It was named Naskari Durga after him. Our forefather Krishnagopal Chatterjee was the priest. Since then, our family has been conducting the puja,” he added.

Soumen Chatterjee said the goddess had visited his ancestor in a dream to issue instructions for the immersion.

“In the first year of the puja, the goddess visited Krishnagopal in his dream, just before Vijaya Dashami, and told him to ensure the immersion through the go dahar route,” said 42-year-old Chatterjee, who runs a photography studio.

This year was no exception.

“In some years, our forefathers were unable to take the go dahar because of floods or other natural difficulties. Whenever that happened, there were untoward incidents that could not be explained with logic. On one occasion, the idol became unbearably heavy till it was shifted to the go dahar. On other occasions, the idol collapsed and got badly damaged. Sometimes, the bearers of the idol got seriously injured in accidents,” said Chatterjee.

Goursundar Chatterjee, 65, another member of the family, said he had heard from his ancestors the need for following the divine instruction. “We have been sticking to the tradition. No matter how difficult the go dahar is to negotiate, we do it,” he said.