Purba Bardhaman – Blog of Kinjal Bose

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 Chakdighi Baganbati

Durga Puja is being celebrated in many bonedi households of West Bengal for centuries. Last year (2023) I paid a visit to Chakdighi Baganbati after visiting the Dasghara. Dasghara is in Dhaniakhali block of Hooghly district while Chakdighi located roughly a little more than seven kilometres from Dasghara is in Jamalpur block of Purba Barddhaman district.

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.

Sat Deul, Purba Bardhaman

Located east of Durgapur Expressway, Sat Deul can be reached by road and rail. It can be reached from either Memari station in Howrah-Barddhaman section or from Masagram station in Howrah-Barddhaman chord line. I went there by hiring a toto from Masagram railway station.

Rathyatra in Amadpur

The village of Amadpur in Purba Bardhaman district of West Bengal is well known for Rathayatra or chariot festival.

Radha Madhav Temple, Amadpur

Amadpur, a village in Memari – I block of Purba Barddhaman district has a number of terracotta temples of which Radha Madhav Temple deserves mention.

Madan Gopal Temple, Amadpur, Purba Bardhaman

Amadpur, a village in Memari – I block of Bardhaman Sadar South subdivision offers a unique collection of terracotta temples of varying shapes and sizes.

Tulsimancha

Manchas are of three types – rasmancha, dolmancha and tulsimancha. In my previous blog posts I have written about Rasmancha and Dolmancha. Today I will concentrate on tulsimancha. Of the three manchas, tulsimancha is the smallest and is mainly found in domestic households and also in many temples of West Bengal. A tulsimancha is built centering a tulsi tree.

Dolmancha

Manchas are of three types – dolmancha, rasmancha and tulsimancha. Of these tulsimanchas are present not only in domestic households but also in many temples of West Bengal. Of the three a rasmancha is larger than a dolmancha while the latter is larger than a tulsimancha. According to David McCutchion, “The dolmancha was most commonly built in the eighteenth century, …… they are spread over the whole of Bengal, wherever Krishna was worshipped.”

Baithakkhana Amadpur

Amadpur, a village in Memari – I block of Barddhaman Sadar South subdivision offers a unique collection of terracotta temples coupled with a heritage home stay in a renovated zamindari house of the Chaudhuris. According to the available records, it was Krishna Ram Sen Sharma who was bestowed the title of Chudhuri by the Mughals.