Autumn in Kolkata arrives not quietly but with a silent rustle, a shimmer, and a promise. As the season drapes the city in lights, the skies get clearer, kash flowers sway in the breeze, and the faint beat of dhaak begins to sway our heart and soul — everything signaling the arrival of ma Durga. Durga Puja, which goes beyond its religious aspect to rep resent the city’s culture, is associated with new clothes, food, pandal hopping, pushpanjali, and the delicious bhog, an offering made to ma during the Puja.
In the courtyards of Kolkata’s bonedi baris (aristocratic or erst while feudal households), where marble columns lean into history and the air is thick with incense, food leaps onto faith, and recipes become heirloom heritage passed intact to new generations. Ahead of the Pujas, we spoke to the family members of four such aristocratic households to trace the history of their sumptuous and holy bhog menus.
The 333-year-old Puja here began when Keshab Chandra Sen got a divine vision. The house itself reflects a tapestry of styles — Islamic arches, Gothic lines, and Italian flourishes. Within the confines of the red walls, bhog becomes a meditation. In the earlier years, ma was offered a dish of salty rice and wild vegetables from the adjoining forest. With the passage of time, the offerings have become richer and more varied, but the devotion remains the same.
Puja mornings begin with raw milk, luchi, and aloo tarkari, while afternoons are all about khichuri, panch bhaja, chanar kalia, chutneys, payesh, rasogolla, pan tua, khejur, and mango chutney. The jewel of Harakutir’s bhog is Chandoni kheer (the colour of the kheer is exactly like sandalwood), a Dashami speciality, which is slow-cooked until the milk thickens with cane jaggery, saffron, and nuts, served at the end of the meal.
Strict silence prevails during the prepa ration of the bhog. “When ma’s bhog is being prepared, the doors are closed, no one utters a word,” says Archisman Ray-Banerjee, a family member. The men of the family take charge in the kitchen for bhog preparation, and the house serves about 300–400 people during these auspicious days.
Girish Bhavan’s Durga Puja began in 1836, and the house is also known for its elaborate Jagaddhatri Puja. Here, the bhog is served throughout the day. Mornings begin with fruits, sweets, and coconut naru; by mid-morning, khichuri with five different fries and sweets is served. Afternoon meals include rice, dal, ghonto, dalna curries, fried vegetables, payesh, pulao, chutney, and sweets. nights close with luchi, fried aubergine, dal, and mohanbhog.
The most unique dish here is the Papad dalna, a lightly spiced curry made with fried papadams and potatoes. no other bonedi bari cooks this, making it a true culinary heirloom. “Every family member looks forward to savoring the Papad dalna during Puja,” says Indrani Mukherjee, a member of the house. Another interesting addition is the tomato capsicum chutney to their bhog. Generational cooks carry forward the flavours, ensuring continuity. The women of the household also join in to prepare the bhog. On Saptami, ashtami, and navami, more than 200 guests are fed daily.
“This is our 236th year of Puja,” says Nandini Mitra, a member of Sovabazar Rajbari, where Durga Puja was started by Raja Nabakrishna Deb in 1757. Unlike other Puja households, this Rajkrishna Deb Rajbari does not have an elaborate bhog spread. They only serve naivedya to the Goddess, which is fondly called methai and consumed as prasad.
The hereditary sweet-makers arrive before Sashthi to prepare trays of jeebe gaja, chokho gaja, mithe gaja, nimki, kachori stuffed with dal, singara, jalebi, pantua, and the unique lal mithai and shada mithai—laddoos made with millets and spiced with cloves and black pepper.
Initially, the sweet and sticky delicacies called moyas were made with puffed rice and jaggery. Over time, other varieties were introduced. While raw yoghurt is offered as part of the rituals, cooked food is not a part of their bhog offerings. The Puja here lasts for 15 days, beginning from Krishna navami and continuing till Durga navami.
In north Kolkata’s Motilal Seal Bari, Durga Puja has been celebrated since 1828. The delectable bhog here does not comprise steaming khichuri or rice platters. Instead, it is a spread of sweets, luchi, and torkari, a ritual that has remained unchanged for about two centuries. Every item is still handmade, including the coconut milk extract, to ensure purity. Family member Indra Prosad Mullick says, “The taste has not changed. What we eat today is the same as what our ancestors ate. The cooks do not want to change anything.”
Brahmin cooks, whose families have been serving the household for generations, have zealously guarded these recipes. The house speciality malpua fried in pure ghee is everyone’s favourite. They are two-of-a-kind — one made with jaggery (gur) and the other soaked in jaggery syrup. There is also the eternally flavour some narkel naru (coconut sweet) rolled lovingly by hand, pantua, gaja, rabri, dahi kheer, and an array of sweets served through the Puja days. At Seal House, bhog is an unbroken continuity of faith.
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