Gallery – Page 8 – Blog of Kinjal Bose

Noku Babu’s grand collection

There are so many old things in this city which is difficult to see in one place. If you want to see those antique items in one place or in one room, meet Shri Sushil Kumar Chatterjee popularly known as Noku Babu, a nonagenarian residing at North Calcutta (now Kolkata) whose grand collection will easily startle you.

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.

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.

Durga Puja of Sheoraphuli Rajbari

The Durga Puja of Sheoraphuli Rajbari in Hooghly district is celebrating 287th saradastav this year. Yes, the puja was started way back in 1141 Bangabda i.e., in 1734 A.D by Raja Manohar Roy.

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.

Chariot of Rautara

Rautara, a village in Amta II block of Howrah district about 57 kilometres from Kolkata can be reached in just less than two hours time. The village has a number of terracotta temples of which Damodar Temple of Sarkarpara deserves mention. The south-facing barochala (twelve roofed) temple has an adjoining nahabatkhana, an aatchala dolmancha and an octagonal rasmancha in the same compound.

Nandadulal Temple, Chandernagore

Chandernagore, a former French colony, had a number of temples of which Nandadulal Jiu Mandir at Durga Charan Rakshit Road deserves mention. The temple is unique in the sense that it is one of the finest specimen of do chala (double sloped roof) mandir of Bengal’s temple architecture.