Durga Puja is celebrated in West Bengal since the Medieval Period, also known as the period of Mughal Empires. In 16th Century the Durga Puja was held in the Court of Rajshahi, and in Nadia District in 18th Century. However, in 18th Century it became popular.
The Zamindar families of the city
are quietly carrying on with their traditions, some of which started hundreds
of years ago. By mid of 18th Century, the national festival of
the Bengalis became an occasion for the rich Babus of Kolkata to flaunt their
wealth. It became a religious splurge among the Babu's of Bengal, to measure the supremacy of one over the other. The first Durga Puja seems to have been celebrated
by Bhabananda, the ancestor of Maharaja Krishnachandra of Nadia, in or about
1606. The family puja of the Sabarno Roychoudhuris of Barisha dates back to
1610 – the oldest in Calcutta,
and conducted even today in a highly traditional style. The
traditional household Durga Pujas gained prominence because of their deep and
passionate devotion to Goddess Durga.
The puja at Shovabazar Rajbari, is
among the oldest Pujas in the city,
organised by Raja Nabakrishna Deb of the Sobhabazar of Calcutta in honor of
Lord Clive in the year 1757. The puja was organized because Clive wished to pay
thanks for his victory in the Battle of Plassey. He was unable to do so in a
Church because the only church in Calcutta
at that time was destroyed by Siraj-ud-Daulah.
Some of the other significant Pujas
are the 250 yrs. old Durga Puja in Dhar family residence in Bikrampur of
undivided Bengal still continues in
Ashoknagar. The Bikrampur's Hasara village in Bangladesh in 1775 A.D. and still
continues till date in their Bagbazar residence. An incident changed the
heartless rituals of sacrifice in the Dhar family. Kashinath Dhar was the
zamindar of Bikrampur then. He performed Durga Puja at his residence with full
traditional rituals. Ashtami was the sacrifice day. It was during the time when
human sacrifice was common and was considered the most important part of the
Puja. It was on this day the 'Kharna' (weapon used to sacrifice) landed on the
child's head, left the child unharmed. With repeated attempts the result
remained the same. There was a commotion and when the news reached the
zamindar, he fell unconscious. On regaining his consciousness he tearfully
prayed the Goddess asking her the reason for the omen. Durga then appeared
before him and asked him to stop sacrifices and told him she had placed her
hand over the child's neck to protect it and has wiped her hand in a cloth,
which is behind the idol. On hearing this, the zamindar rushed to the mandap
and found the blood stained cloth. Henceforth, sacrifice was stopped in the
Dhar family Puja. Durga Puja took a complete social turn when it started being
organized by the common people.
The
Ghosh family came to Pathuriaghata at the time of Warren Hastings. It is said
that Warren Hastings and his wife visited the Ghosh family. Khelat Chandra
Ghosh (1829-1878), grandson of Hasting’s banyan (clerk) Ramlochan Ghosh,
shifted out of the old family house at 46 Pathuriaghata Street to a new house
at 47 Pathuriaghata Street. The family made remarkable contribution in music
and charity. The Family Durga Puja is celebrated still in a traditional way.
Gobinda Ram Mitra's of Kumartuli started their Puja in 1800. Samir Dasgupta's
household Durga Puja commenced in 1839, in Batajor village in Barishal in
Bangaldesh. The tradition still continues till date in Srimani Para Lane residence in Baranagar.
Sacchidananda Chatterjee continues with his 200 yr. old household Durga Puja at
his residence in Brahma Samaj Road.
Other Famliy Pujas like Krishnadeb of Sobhabazar, Mitra Family
of Chorbagan, the Seal
family of Chorbagan from 1856, Srimani family of Sukia street,
traditional Durga Puja at Rani Rashmoni's residence and Kaliprasanna Singha's
Family Puja.
All these Family Puja are still
carried on in Traditional way. Some of the fragmented Families who are not
united today, passed on the responsibility of Puja to their Munims to carry on
with their family’s tradition.
