kinjalbose

Chandranath Shiva Temple, Hetampur, Birbhum

The district of Birbhum houses temples of various types like rekha deul, bangla, chala and ratna but there are a few temples which are octagonal in shape. One such temple is Chandranath Shiva Temple at Hetampur. It is a brick-built east-facing “octagonal-pinnacled” temple of navaratna type built by Raja Krishnachandra of Hetampur in 1847. It also is a state protected monument under Directorate of Archaeology and Museums.

Raghabeswar Shiva Temple, Dignagar, Nadia

There are a number of temples of varying shapes and sizes in Nadia district. Quite a number of them are of charchala (four sloped roofs) type like Palpara Temple, Nadia, Jaleswar Temple and Krishnachandra Jiu Temple both in Shantipur, Rudreswar Shiva Temple at Matiari (1665) and Raghabeswar Shiva Temple (1669) at Dignagar. The latter two temples were built by Raja Raghav Roy (1632-1683), grandson of Bhavananda Majumder, founder of Nadia Raj. Of these Raghabeswar Shiva Temple has exquisite terracotta works.

Fanush Festival at Bholanath Dham

On the day of Deepawali, people light oil lamps or candles in the balcony and now-a-days with colourful electric lights. Fireworks are also lighted at night. At times fanush or sky lanterns are also seen.

Durga Puja of Tarak Pramanick’s House

There are quite a number of houses in Kolkata where both Durga Puja and Kali Puja are held in the same dalan. One such house belonging to Tarak Pramanick located at 154, Tarak Pramanick Road is celebrating Durga Puja for more than two centuries.

Durga Puja of Guskara, Purba Barddhaman

Durga Puja is held in many bonedi households in West Bengal. Guskara in Purba Barddhaman district houses a number of pujas of which Chongder, Patra and Majhi Bari deserves mention. Ofcourse, there are other houses where the puja is held but I shall elaborate on the Durga Pujas of Chongder Bari and Patra Bari in this post.

Durga Puja of Chakrabarti Bari of Langalberia

There are plenty of houses in West Bengal where Durga Puja is held maintaining all the rituals and customs in a grand way. There are quite a number of such houses close to Kolkata where the puja is being held for more than a century. One such house is Chakrabarti Bari at Langalberia near Baruipur in South 24 Parganas district.

Durga Puja of Zamindar Mukherjee Family of Uttarpara

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.

Rathayatra of Tarak Pramanick’s House

Rathayatra is one of the greatest festivals of Bengal. There are many bonedi houses in and outside Kolkata where this festival is celebrated in a grand way. The raths are mostly made of wood, though some are made of brass. One such house in North Kolkata where a brass chariot is drawn in the courtyard belongs to Tarak Pramanick.

Continue reading Rathayatra of Tarak Pramanick’s House

Rathayatra at Bankati, Paschim Barddhaman

Rathayatra is a major and popular festival of West Bengal. The roads and streets are adorned with chariots of various shapes and sizes. There are a number houses where brass chariots are used. This year I witnessed the rathayatra of Joydev Kenduli in Birbhum and Bankati in Paschim Barddhaman district. The three notable places in Paschim Barddhaman where brass drawn chariots are used are Searsole, Ukhra and Bankati.

Rathayatra of Chunimani Dasi Thakurbari

Rathayatra or chariot festival is widely celebrated in different parts of West Bengal including Calcutta (now Kolkata). There are a number of bonedi houses and thakurbaris in Kolkata where it is still celebrated with much pomp and splendour. One such thakurbari is at 6/1, Gobinda Sen Lane, Bowbazar, Kolkata – 700012 founded by Chunimani Dasi on 21st Magh, 1307 Bangabda (February 1900) which will be celebrating 125th Rathayatra festival this year.