Dey Bari of Bhabanipur of 26/D, Chandra Nath Chatterjee Street, Kolkata is celebrating Durga Puja for 157 years. The floor of the sanctum where the idol of Maa Durga is placed is made of clay and the old kathamo or the structure is still being used every year and retained by the family.
I visited this house on Saptami this year and found that the puja has already been completed. The dhakis are resting on the courtard. I entered the mandap and found that the floor is made of clay. The dalan has received a fresh coat of paint. I heard the sounds of the pigeons as I entered the mandap.
The protima is of traditonal ekchala with blue background and the chalchitra are possibly hand drawn. Goddess Lakshmi and Saraswati do not have any “traditional carriers” making it distinctively unique. The chandmala and the weapons are all possibly made of brass. The puja was started by Ramlal Dey in 1870 and, it was said that he saw a divine dream where he was instructed to start the puja in his house. The protima is built in the dalan following kathamo puja on the day of Rathayatra and, as said earlier, the main structure in which the idol is made is the same structure in which the first puja took place. Every year when the idol is immersed in the nearby Adi Ganga, the kathamo is picked up and in the next year the protima is built on the same. After baran and other rituals are over, the idol is tied in bamboo and carried on shoulders to the ghat for immersion following the age-old traditions.
Special thanks to Shri Debayan Dey
Date of posting: 18th October, 2026.
