Durga Puja of Chaudhuri Bari, Amadpur

Durga Puja is celebrated both in barowari puja pandals and in bonedi households of West Bengal. There are many pujas which are pretty old and are being celebrated till now with pomp and splendour following the rituals. One such household is Chaudhuri Bari of Amadpur in Memari in Purba Barddhaman district.

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Durga Puja of Sen Bari, Guptipara

Guptipara in Hooghly district of West Bengal is famous for Rathayatra, first barowari puja, terracotta temples and sweets (gupo sandesh). That apart Durga Puja is also held here. Durga Puja of Sen Bari is not only famous but very old. The puja was started way back in 1580 by Shri Ram Sen.

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Durga Puja of Surul Sarkarbari

Durga Puja is celebrated in a grand way in many zamindar houses of West Bengal. I have been travelling to such bonedi houses for the last few years. This year on Nabami I had been to Surul Sarkarbari or Surul Rajbari which is roughly 5 kilometres from Bolpur railway station in Birbhum. Here Maa Durga is worshipped in two houses – baro taraf and choto taraf with much splendour.

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Daily worshipped Durga idols of Kolkata Part 3

Durga Puja, the greatest festival of the Bengalees is not only celebrated as barowari pujas but it is equally worshipped in many bonedi households of Kolkata. But there are a few houses and temples in Kolkata where Maa Durga is worshipped round the year. In this post I shall include five such pujas though there are a few more houses or temples where Goddess Durga is worshipped daily, which I could not include in my post due to shortage of time.

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Avaya Durga, Silbari, Rajbalhat

Rajbalhat, a town in Jangipara block of Serampore subdivision of Hooghly district is named after Devi Rajballavi. It is also famous for handloom (tant) industry along with Dhaniakhali, also in Hooghly. That apart the town has a number of temples – Sridhar Damodar Temple, Radhakanta Temple along with the temple of Rajballavi.

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Daily worshipped Durga idols of Kolkata Part 2

Devi Durga is worshipped round the year in quite a number of temples/houses in Kolkata. During the time of Durga Puja these places of worship gets crowded with devotees of all age groups thereby making the ambience a puja-like atmosphere. In this post I shall include four such pujas and the rest in the third and final post coming soon.

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Daily worshipped Durga idols of Kolkata – Part 1

Durga Puja – the greatest festival of Bengalees is celebrated not only in the bonedi households of Kolkata but there are quite a number of temples/houses where Devi Durga is worshipped on a daily basis round the year. In this post I shall include five such pujas and the rest in the subsequent post.

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Durga Puja of Biswas Bari of Dasghara

Durga Puja is not only celebrated as a barowari puja but is equally famous as a household puja. Household Durga puja is well known in rural Bengal apart from Kolkata. There are some families who celebrate the puja with great pomp and splendour and during the days of the festival the thakurdalan along with the adjoining areas bear a different look. One such family where Durga is not only famous but unique is Biswas Bari of Dasghara in Hooghly district.

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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 Buri Maar Aatchala, Chaitalpara, Bally

There are a number of old Durga pujas in Howrah district and, mainly they are celebrated in bonedi households. Of the few such pujas I visited a couple of years back I have come across one at Chaitalpara in Bally, popularly known as Buri Maar Aatchala. It is not known for sure when it actually started but according to sources it began about three hundred years back as a household puja.

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Durga Puja of Jorasanka Dawn Bari

Durga Puja is the greatest festival of the Bengalees. It is celebrated not only in barowari puja pandals but also in many bonedi households of Bengal. In Calcutta, (now Kolkata) it is held in many houses with much pomp and splendour maintaining all the age-old rituals and customs. One such house is Jorasanko Dawn Bari of 12A, Shibkrishna Dawn Lane where the puja is being held since 1840.

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Durga Puja of Baral family

I have come across a number of houses in Howrah who are celebrating Durga Puja in a grand way and some of them are pretty old. Last year, I was invited to a family Durga Puja organised by the Barals at 75, Raj Ballav Saha Lane, Howrah – 711101. Though comparatively a new puja, the striking thing here is the idol of Maa Durga which drew my attention.

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Durga Puja of ‘bonedi’ families of Chinsurah

In my previous blog the day before yesterday, I tried to cover the bonedi families of Chandannagar where Durga Puja is still being celebrated with great pomp and splendour. Chinsurah, the next station after Chandannagar is my today’s subject. Chinsurah was formerly a Dutch colony. Now Chinsurah or Chuchura is the headquarters of Hooghly district of West Bengal. There are a number of bonedi families in this town who are still worshipping Maa Durga maintaining the age-old tradition. In this blog I shall include five such families all of which were being covered by me on Nabami this year.

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