Blog of Kinjal Bose

Gopal & Lakshmi Janardan Temple, Ghurisha, Birbhum

Birbhum district in West Bengal has a number of terracotta temples of which the nabaratna Gopal & Lakshmi Janardan Temple in Ghurisha located in Illambazar block deserves mention. Richly decorated with terracotta this temple was founded by Kshetranath Dutta in 1145 Bangabda ie, way back in 1739 A.D.

Temples of Sonamukhi, Bankura

There are many terracotta temples in Bankura district specially in Bishnupur. In fact when we speak of such temples, the first name that comes to our mind is about the temples which have intricate terracotta decoration built by the Malla kings in Bishnupur.

Durga Puja of Roychowdhury Bari, Baruipur

Durga Puja, being the greatest festival of the Bengalees is celebrated in many households of Bengal for more than a century. One such household is the Roychowdhury family of Baruipur in South 24 Parganas district. About a mile from Baruipur railway station, this puja will definitely take you back to three centuries. An old structure which has got a fresh coat of paint due to the festival will welcome you inside the courtyard where you will witness the old durga dalan.

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Durga Puja of Dutta Bari, Baranagar

Durga Puja, being the greatest festival of the Bengalees is not only celebrated in puja pandals as barowari puja but it is equally celebrated in households across Bengal.

Ananda-Bhairavi Temple, Sukharia

Twenty-five pinnacled or panchavimshati-ratna temple is a classification of the ratna type of temple architecture. In West Bengal there are only five such temples – three in Kalna (Purba Barddhaman), one each in Sukharia (Hooghly) and Sonamukhi (Bankura).

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Nabaratna Kali Mandir, Balaram Ghosh Street, Kolkata

A nabaratna temple dedicated to Goddess Bhabatarini along with two aatchala Shiva temples of 2/2A, Balaram Ghosh Street in North Kolkata deserves mention. It is a Grade – I heritage structure as per Kolkata Municipal Corporation’s “Graded List of Heritage Buildings”.

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Basanti Puja of Bally Harisabha

Durga Puja, is no doubt, the greatest festival of the Bengalees. It is held in autumn; whereas Basanti Puja is held six months later in spring. It is normally held in the Bengali month of Chaitra (April). Though not celebrated in such a grand way like the Durga Puja; but still it is worshipped in a number of places. One such place is Bally Harisabha of 207, Goswami Para Road in the district of Howrah for more than eighty years.

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Household Jagaddhatri Pujas in Chandannagar

When we speak of Jagaddhatri Puja in Chandannagar, the first thing that reminds us is that the puja is celebrated here for four days just like Durga Puja. But there are a number of families who celebrate the puja in Nabami tithi where the pujas of Saptami, Astami and Nabami are held in a single day.