Durga Puja, the greatest festival of the Bengalees is not only celebrated in barowari puja pandels but the same is held with equal pomp and splendour in many households both in Kolkata and in the districts of West Bengal. One such place where the puja is being held for more than two centuries is the Mukherjee or Mukhopadhyay family of Uttarpara in Hooghly district.
The family Durga Puja was started by Jagamohan Mukhopadhyay way back in 1820 in his own house. In the year 1840, he made a will in which he made his sons – Jaikrishna, Rajkrishna, Nabakrishna and Bijoykrishna – the sebaits. At that time his youngest son Nabinkrishna was not yet born. Nabinkrishna was later on included in the list of sebaits. In the will it was also mentioned that the puja would be held in the house of the seniormost member of the Mukherjee family. The Durga Puja and the Jora (twin) Shiva temples built by him were included in debottar trust. Later Uttarpara Babughat was also inserted into it by Jaikrishna Mukhejee.
The puja was held according to Shakta rituals, and till 1973 animal sacrifice was held but after that it was stopped completely, and, instead chalkumro (gourd) was offered as sacrifice in Nabami. The rituals of kumari puja and dhuno porana are not held here. The Durga Puja has travelled in many houses of the Mukherjees since its inception and presently, i.e., from 2012 onwards, it was celebrated in a grand way at Jora Shiv Mandir built by Jagamohan Mukhopadhyay around 1816.
The twin Shiva temples are of aatchala type and it houses Shiva lingams – Gopaleswar (named after Jagamohan’s father Nandagopal Mukhopadhyay) and Shibaniswar (named after his mother Shibani Devi) made of kasthipathar. Daily worship of the Shiva lingams are held here.
The goddess is adorned with ornaments on Panchami. This puja has two uniqueness – it has rotated amongst the different palaces and the immersion ceremony of Maa Durga is held at Uttarpara Babughat in the morning of Bijoya Dasami.
Going there:
Uttarpara can be reached either from Howrah or Sealdah. If you want to choose Sealdah, then take Sealdah-Dankuni local train and get down at Bally Ghat station. Come downstairs and take Grand Trunk Road. From here one can take either an auto or a toto, cross the Bally Khal and reach Jora Shiv Mandir. If you want to choose Howrah, then take any train going to Serampore. Get down at Uttarpara station and take a toto. One can also travel through metro rail. Get down at Daskshineswar station and take an auto to Bally Khal which will travel through Bally Bridge.
Special thanks to Shri Debasish Mukherjee (sixth descendant of Babu Jaikrishna Mukherjee).
Date of posting: 28th October, 2025.
Blog of Kinjal Bose 