Durga puja is one of the longest pujas in the Bengali festive calendar, spread over five days. The rites and rituals of this puja are pretty complex and any lapse in following them is said to invoke the wrath of the gods. So, organizing Durga puja is a challenge by itself and households doing the puja are few and getting fewer still. One major reason is, of course, the rising prices of commodities, including items needed for the puja. Secondly, households are getting divided with families going nuclear and moving away from the old houses and manors where the puja was traditionally held. However, overcoming all these odds and more, a few houses in Howrah continue to organize and celebrate the arrival of the goddess from Kailash.

The idol at Jhikhira Bhattacharyya Bari puja

Bhattacharyya Bari in Jhikhira

An elderly lady of the family performs dhuno pora

The pristine white sola decorations of the deity at Jhikhira Paschimpara’s Bhattacharyya residence, stands in stark contrast to the reddish hue of the goddess. Kartick and Ganesh have exchanged sides at this puja. Kartick sits next to Lakshmi while Ganesh is seated next to Saraswati. It has been 202 years since Ramsambhu Bhattacharyya started the puja at the Bhattacharyya house at Jhikhira. The family had migrated from Bikrampur in Dhaka to settle in Jhikhira after being harassed at the hands of the then Mughal rulers. Durga puja was, earlier, held at the house in Bikrampur. Ramsambhu, the first settler at Jhikhira, lived with his family in a small mud hut. However, he often dreamt of performing Durga puja. He started the puja on a small scale near his house and his youngest son Durgaprasad, who was a well-known pundit at that time, became the purohit. Traditions have changed little through so many generations. Although most of the family is scattered around Howrah, Calcutta and other places, everyone gathers at the village home in Jhikhira every Durga puja. The puja starts with bodhon on Sashthi that takes place under the bel tree that had been planted many years back near the thakurdalan for this purpose. Saptami’s nabapatrika pravesh starts with bathing of the kalabou early in the morning.

The natmandir where the family comes together to have bhog

However, unlike other pujas, kalabou is not taken out of the chandimandap for the bathing ritual. “This ritual is completed at the chandimandap itself. Water collected from 108 rivers, seas and waterbodies are kept in small earthen pots, which are arranged on a large wooden plate. The purohit then uses the water from these pots to bathe kalabou,” said Manjugopal Chakraborty, a resident of Ramrajatala, whose mother belongs to the Jhikhira Bhattacharyya family.

A little girl being carried to the chandimandap for kumari puja

Although most people keep a fast for Sandhi puja, two people are specially assigned to hold a red rangan (ixora) garland on either side of the deity during Sandhi puja. The house is just a few kilometres from the Jai Chandi and Garh Chandi temples in Amta. A canon fires at the Jai Chandi temple announcing the start of Sandhi puja, and at that moment, the garland is placed around the goddess. Animal sacrifice is a tradition here. It takes place on Navami. “We are trying to do away with this ritual, but we need everyone’s consent,” said Manjugopal. Women take part in dhuna pora, holding earthen pots of dhuna in either hand and one on their head and sit before the goddess. The men and boys of the family play kada-mati on Navami morning in the courtyard.

Pal Bari in Jagatballavpur

When Binod Behari Pal, a cashier at the court of the Maharaja of Burdwan, received 102 bighas from the zamindar in Jagatballavpur, he decided to settle with his family on the banks of Kana Damodar that flowed through this part of Howrah at that time. The river has long since moved away but the settlement remained. Binod Behari’s youngest son, Buddhimanta ,played a key role in establishing the Singhabahini temple inside the Pal mansion in as early as 997 of the Bengali calendar. Buddhimanta is said to have found the kashthi pathar (touchstone) idol of Singhabahini while bathing in Kana Damodar.

Shiva-Parvati idol at the Jagatballavpur Pal Bari puja

It is believed that Durga puja started around the same time at the Pal residence in Jagatballavpur. Buddhimanta also constructed the chandimandap within the mansion, the only part of the house that still stands. Regular puja is still held at the Singhabahini temple, where now only a ghot stands, after the kashthipathar idol was stolen. Durga is not the demon-killer at this puja. Instead, the deity is seated along with Shiva, as Shiva-Parvati.

The rituals are traditional, followed the way they had been introduced at the time of Buddhimanta Pal. Although this is one of the oldest Durga pujas in Howrah district, it lacks the festivities that are generally associated with old and aristocratic pujas. Some rituals, like kumari puja, have also been done away with. One of the prime reasons is that none of the family members live in Jagatballavpur any more. “Ever since a large part of the original house was demolished to construct the metal road that runs from Bargachhia to Amta, the family members have been forced to relocate elsewhere. And they have no place to stay at Jagatballavpur for the five days of the Puja. The rooms surrounding the chandimandap were where we stayed at one time, but now we go in the morning and return in the evening,” said Dr Amit Pal, ophthalmologist and the 17th descendant of Buddhimanta Pal.

Preparing for bali at the Pal residence

Local residents and sevaits at the Singhabahini temple willingly organize the puja at the Pal residence. The Singhabahini Trust runs all the expenses of the temple as well as the Durga puja. “There are three branches of the Pal family, Boro, Mejo and Choto tarafs. Of the three, members of the Boro and Choto branches of the family are most involved with the puja and contribute a lump sum towards the trust. We share responsibilities and visit the puja on all five days,” said Pal.

Among the many rituals of the puja, bali is an important one and nine goats are sacrificed through Ashtami, Sandhi puja and Navami. The person, who beheads the goat, carries the head of the sacrificed goat across the natmandir and throws it at the feet of the goddess. The meat of the sacrificed goats is cooked and distributed as bhog among local people and family members. The deity is offered khichri and pulao too and this is distributed among members of the family and local people who come to the puja.

Das Bari in Belkulai

Durga puja started at this palatial house in Panchla in 1934 after Kadambini Devi, a senior lady of the house, dreamt of the goddess. As Vaishnavites, the family celebrated festivals associated with Krishna. On Kadambini’s wish, her two sons, Chandra Kumar and Adhar Chandra started Durga puja at the thakurdalan of the house.

Kalabou snan at the courtyard in front of the thakurdalan at Das Bari

The members of the Das family continue to follow the old rituals of Durga puja, but with certain changes. Bodhon was earlier done on Mahalaya with Chandi path that continued till Dashami. However, since the 1970s, bodhon is done on Sashthi itself. “People do not have so much time any more,” said Sourav Das, a member of the family. A bel tree near the house is where bodhon takes place. A covered enclosure is made with hogla leaves under the tree. The family deity, Narayan, who, otherwise, resides in a temple adjoining the house, is brought to this enclosure for bodhon.

Back at the thakurdalan, a silver kunke (container for measuring rice grains) full of paddy grains and sindoor, smeared with vermilion and wrapped in a silk cloth, is placed near the Durga idol. This symbolises Lakshmi in the form of Dhanyalakshmi. After bodhon is over, Narayan is ceremoniously carried by the purohit to the thakurdalan, accompanied by seven married women of the family. Before Narayan is seated next to Dhanyalakshmi, the purohit and the seven ladies must walk around the Durga idol seven times.

On Saptami morning, kalabou is carried to the nearby family pond for bathing. This is done by the member of the family in whose name the puja is pledged. After that, the tree is once again bathed with water from 108 waterbodies, at the courtyard in front of the thakurdalan. This is done by the married women of the family. Nabapatrika pravesh announces the beginning of Durga puja. There is no sacrifice at this family puja. “We do not even sacrifice vegetables or fruits,” said Sourav.

Kumari puja is done on Navami. Many of the family members come to Belkulai for puja. However, much of the grandeur is lost. “Earlier, there would be jatras and puppet shows at the courtyard during Durga puja. The youngsters would stage plays. However, all that has changed,” said Das. The community lunch for the local people has also stopped.

Chakraborty Bari in Ramrajatala

The Chakraborty family dates back to the time before Ayodhya Ram Chowdhury settled in Ramrajatala. The first settler, Ratikanta Chakraborty came from Khanyan, now in Burdwan. He was the purohit of the Kundu Chowdhury family of Andul, who were zamindars of this part of Howrah at that time. Eleven generations have been living at the old house in Ramrajatala since that time. The central courtyard was once the stage for many theatres and jatras organised by the family. The chandimandap is outside, right at the entrance to the house.

Durga puja is more than 200 years old at this house. Among the many traditional rituals followed here, an important one is the use of the juice of banana flower (mocha) for Mahasnan on Saptami morning. “This is an important ingredient which must be used in all pujas,” said Subodh Chatterjee, the seniormost member of the family. After Mahasnan, the deity is offered sugarcane, murki and narkel nadu in a small earthen pot. Lakshmi and Narayan are the family deities worshipped at the prayer room of the house. A Shiva temple stands behind the residential building.

Sandhi puja at the Chakraborty residence at Ramrajatala

Kumari puja is usually done on both Ashtami and Navami, but this year, there will be just one puja on Ashtami. “Since Navami and Dashami are on the same day, we will not be doing the second kumari puja,” said Samir Chatterjee, another senior family member. Bali was earlier done at the puja and sugarcane was sacrificed, but that has been done away with, a long time back. Dhuno porano is done by the women of the house. The expenses of the puja and the temples are carried out from the proceeds of debuttor property.