Durga Puja in Kolkata - A UNESCO World Heritage Experience
One of the biggest festivals in India, the Durga puja of Kolkata attracts millions of excited pandal hoppers every year. Locally known as Durga Pujo, the city of Kolkata decorates herself in lights and grandeur for the five-day annual celebration to pay homage to the divine Maa Durga.
It is a celebration of the victory of good over evil as the goddess annihilates the demon king, Mahishasur. As per Hindu mythology, Maa Durga visits her earthly abode each year around this time to bless her mortal devotees.
Durga Puja is a festival of great magnificence - an event that all Bengalis wait eagerly for, through the entire year. There are more than 4,000 puja pandals that are spread across the city, experiencing a total footfall of more than millions.
Although celebrated in many areas of the Indian subcontinent, such as in Assam, Odisha, Tripura, and Bihar, these five days hold special significance for the Bengali community - family members and friends flock together, dress up in new attires, feast on special delicacies, and hop from one puja pandal to the other. It is an event where the whole city, old friends and strangers, come together and celebrate.
Durga puja of Kolkata has earned the honor of being a World Heritage Site, as announced by the 16th Committee of UNESCO. Gaining popular acclamation for being the first festival in Asia to receive this recognition, Durga Puja has now made its way into the representative list of being an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. But what is so grand about the festival? Well, keep reading to find out!
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History of Durga Puja in Kolkata
Celebrated in the Bengali month of Ashvin (September to October), Durga puja is celebrated at a time when the weather starts to get cooler yet radiates with the warm sunshine of fall. When exactly was the festival first celebrated has been lost over time, but mentions of it have been found in various Vedic texts, and even in the Indian epics such as Mahabharata and Ramayana.
In literature, it is from the 16th century that we encounter the first mentions of the grand celebration of Durga Pujo, which were hosted and financed by different Bengali rajas (kings) and zamindars (landlords). The pujas which were celebrated in the house of the zamindars, known as bonedi barir pujo still remain a custom to this day in Bengal.
In the case of bigger households, the idols were seated in the courtyard of their Havelis, known as the Durga dalan, for the rest of the villagers to come and offer prayers to the goddess.
The Worshipped Form of Devi (or Goddess)
Although the Devi has been envisioned in various forms, the Devi Purana celebrates her as the Adi Parashakti or Formless power’. It is the moment where Maa Durga, spreading her ten hands, confronts, and kills Mahisashura thus putting an end to evil, this is the fierce form that has been memorialized. It is a celebration of the power of women, which includes both her fierce warrior form, as well as her nurturing facet.
The making of the Durga idol is not just a process of mixing clay and sand that is done a few days before puja. It is an art form that requires tremendous love and devotion - to bring the clay statue into life and create a supreme form of energy that can ward off any kind of evil. This art form remains in practice throughout the year in Kumartuli, or what is known as the “locality of potters’’.
When Durga Maa comes home, she is not alone. She is accompanied by her four children - Lakshmi, Ganesh, Kartikey, and Saraswati, the idols of whom surround the Devi. Some researchers on Indian culture have found a different interpretation of the idols as well. They believe that they are not her children, rather four of her own attributes that have been given a physical form.
Kumartuli and the creation process of Devi
Dating back to as far as the 17th century, Kumartuli is a locality in north Kolkata that is situated on the banks of River Hooghly. It carries a legacy for making idols. Walking down the narrow streets of Kumartuli, you will be able to observe the myriad of tiny huts that are filled with the half-molded idols of Durga maa.
The making process of Durga maa is a well-rehearsed orchestra amongst the potters of Kumartuli. It includes various steps that range from collecting materials to molding and giving the idol a strong form, painting the fierce yet serene expression, and ornamenting with beautiful jewelry and garlands. The materials used for the idol include husk, bamboo, straws, and Punya mati.
This Punya mati is a mixture of soil collected from the banks of river Ganga, cow dung and urine, and mud collected from “nishiddho pallis”, or the brothels. There are many interpretations as to why this ritual is celebrated, the most common one being from the Vedas - It is believed that women fall under nine distinct classes, also known as “navakanyas”, who are to be worshipped along with Maa Durga. Amongst them also falls the Vaishya or prostitute, thus collecting the soil from their doorstep might be a ritual that pays homage to them.
The Durga Pandals
A themed Durga pujo pandal
The Durga puja is a giant public art show. If you combine the Rio Carnival, Venice Biennale, and Oktoberfest together, and finish it off with a touch of vigorous Hindu piety, you might get an idea of what the celebration is actually like.
The main focus of the festival is the pandals - they are found at every nook and corner of the city. The pandals are formed from huge bamboo poles that are tied together, draped with a cloth, and finished with different props, based upon the theme of the pandal. The pandals are created by local communities who invest a huge amount of effort and money into it.
Different prizes are awarded to the pandals as well, thus creating an immense source of pride for the winners. Although the central theme of most pandals is the same - the goddess killing mahishasur and being surrounded by her four companions, all of them differ widely from one another, based upon the budget of the puja committees and creativity of the artist.
If we travel back to the 1700s, we will reach the time when the first community puja was celebrated. Twelve friends got together and gave form to what will later become a community festival. However, it has not been more than 80 years that the puja committees started using the creativity of artists to create a unique themed pandal.
Some of the pandals you might not want to miss out on should include Manicktala Chaltabagan Lohapatty Durga Puja, Santosh Mitra Square, Bagbazar Sarbojonin, Sikdar Bagan Sadharan Durga Puja, Mohammad Ali Park Durga Puja, Ekdalia Evergreen Club, Hindustan Park, Hindustan Club, Suruchi Sangha, and Singhi Park, just to name a few!
Bonedi Barir Durga Pujo
Although you might feel overwhelmed with the artistic power of the grand carnival, you simply can not miss out on the Durga Pujas in bonedi bari, as they beam with the pride of heritage.
In the earlier days, Durga puja was celebrated in the royal palaces or Rajbaris by most Hindu landlords and kings. When the British East India Company came and took over India, they pumped in a lot of money to increase the grandeur of these Durga Pujas, which might have even amounted to 500 crores in today’s currency. When the British contribution started to die down by the end of the 1930s, most of these pujas were taken from the Durga Dalan to the makeshift community pandals.
However, the Bonedi or the elite Bengali families decided to continue with the traditional Durga puja in their courtyards but cut down on the grandeur. Most of the oldest Durga pujas in Bengal take place in these heritage households, the Bonedi Bari. They worship the Sabeki Durga idol - the traditional idol with her three eyes, adorned with heavy jewelry that dates many ages back. They stand in front of a chala or backdrop that is decked with potochitra, which are illustrations that tell stories from rural Bengal.
Kumartuli might be the home of most potters, but these Bonedi Bari take pride in creating the idol from scratch right at their home. Each household has a designated artist for this. On the days of pujo, you can even savor a delicious Bhog prasad, which is a meal that is offered to the goddess and then served to the guests by the women of the household. Amongst these, you will not want to miss out on the Shovabazar Rajbari’s Bonedi Durga Pujo!
The Rituals Observed Through the Grand Days
With energy visibly buzzing through the air, Kolkata lights and decks herself up for the upcoming ten-day celebration of Durga Pujo. Each day of the puja is celebrated with immense energy, as the city wakes up with the auspicious sound of shonkho or conch shell and dhaak, and the smell of warm bhog in the air. The arrival of the panchag or the Bengali calendar that contains all the dates and times for the puja in the Bengali household marks the onset of the anticipation for the festival.
Mahalaya
Mahalaya is the day of the commencement of the much-awaited Durga puja. This day is believed to be the beginning of Durga Maa’s journey to her earthy abode. Sharp at 4 am, the entire city emerges from its slumber to turn on the radio and listen to Mahisashurmordini or chandipath, as recited by Birendra Krishna Bhadra. Various television shows are also broadcasted on Tv at that time, which tells the tale of Maa Durga’s origin and her fight with evil.
Shashti
Shashti or the sixth day is when Maa Durga sets her foot into her home. Maa Durga enters the pandal along with her companions in all glory, accompanied with a procession of dhak (a traditional drum-like instrument that is played using two sticks). Maa is decorated with sindoor or vermillion, a bright saree, and vibrant ornaments.
During the evening, Devi-boron happens, which is a ceremonial ritual where the Devi is unveiled. In the ritual, the goddess is given life and prepared for the rituals that will take place in the upcoming days.
Saptami
The ceremonies of the seventh day start even before dawn. It is with ‘Nabapatrika snan’ or the bath of kola bou or the banana bride at pre-dawn, that the rituals of the day commence. Kola bou is a form of goddess Durga, but is also believed to be the wife of Ganesh. Since Durga is the goddess of Agriculture, kola bou signifies her natural plant form. The kola bou is draped in a saree with a long veil that makes her look like a new bride and then bathed in the holy water, as the priest chant mantras. She is then placed in the pandal beside Ganesha.
Ashtami
The eighth day is the day of grandeur. People leave their houses early in the morning, bathed and dressed in new attires, to take part in the puja rituals of the day. Nine different pots with nine colors, representing the nine forms of shakti or power, are put in front of the Devi and worshipped. Then people gather in front of the goddess and offer Anjali (prayers) to her.
Next follows the kumari pujo, a ritual where young, unmarried, and prepubescent girls are worshipped, as different forms of the Devi. Dressed up to resemble a goddess, these young girls are offered sweets, flowers, and Dakshina (gifts), and people pray for their blessings.
Next is the ritual of Sandhi aarti. It is celebrated in the last 24 minutes of ashtami and the first 24 minutes of Nabami or the ninth day. Sandhi or the sacred cusp is where the goddess is worshipped in her Chandiavatar. In the Markandeya Purana, Maa Durga took the form of Chandi to kill two Asuras, Chandi and Mundo. The scared 108 lamps are lit and in the Sandhi aarti dhaks are played, as people dance and celebrate with joy. The pujo is then closed with a serving of bhog.
Navami
Dhunuchi naach
The main rituals that are celebrated on the ninth day are boli and homa. Boli is a tradition where a sacrifice, usually sugarcane or a pumpkin, is made to appease the goddess. Homa is a fire sacrifice that is followed as per the Vedic or tantric traditions. The day is finally ended with an aarti where the Bengalis immerse themselves in dhunuchi naach, a traditional worship dance.
Dashami -
The tenth day is the final day that marks the victory of the goddess. Married women bid farewell to the goddess in the form of boron, by applying vermillion on the goddess and offering her sweets. Next is sindoor khela, where married women dressed in white sarees with a crimson edge celebrate, by applying vermillion on each other. This ritual is believed to be a way to ensure the long-lasting peace and health of families.
Then finally comes the concluding ceremony of bishorjon, or the immersion ritual of the goddess. This is the final moment when the goddess along with the Nabapatrikaare is immersed in the holy water, as thousands of devotees come to bid farewell to her. As people come home to an empty pandal, they celebrate the victory of the goddess by collecting the blessings of elders and hugging the young members.
Durga puja is an emotion that cannot be expressed by words - one simply has to live through it. It is a time that the Bengalis look forward to throughout the year. Several cultural elements are incorporated in the celebration, from theatre, to dance and music programs, to art competitions, thus making it enjoyable for people of all ages. Decorated with extreme care, the durga pujo pandals exhibit craftsmanship of great excellence. Durga Puja is not only a huge attraction for religious devotees, but also for enthusiasts of cultural art forms.
As soon as you have stepped your foot into the streets of the city during the ongoing festivities, you will be dancing to the lively beats of Dhak, with a dhunuchi in your hand, and ravishing the freshly cooked bhog, and you admire the beautifully dressed Bengali people around you! Durga puja is a time when the only emotion that runs through the air is pure bliss!
Extended families come together again, kids enjoy with their grandparents, and friends pandal hop through innumerable pujo pandals as they munch on the huge variety of food! As Maa Durga keeps her watchful eye on the city people, there is nothing that can diminish the excitement of these five days!
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