If you want to escape the regular hustle and bustle and theme-centric Durga Puja of the city and venture outside Kolkata for not only a breath of fresh air but also a peek into traditional Pujas with a long history, Indulge gives you a choice. Visit the Dasghara Durga Puja in Hooghly district about 70 kms from Kolkata and witness traditional yet unique rituals. We spoke to Tilak Kumar Biswas from the Deb Biswas family who have helmed this Puja for centuries, to find out more about the origins and history.
“The Durga Puja of the Deb Biswas family of Hooghly West Bengal was started around the 12th century when the Orissa regent Sadananda Deb Biswas relocated to South of West Bengal. With 40 bigha land, he built a palace or Das Nahar, Nahar meaning palace, which still exists. Sadananda used to carry a Ghot to symbolise goddess Chandi and it was this Ghot which was initially prayed to.” recalls Biswas. He continues, “During the 16th century, our family was influenced by Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and we converted to Vaishnavs but the Chandi Ghot puja continued till a point where Gopinath was installed as our family deity at the Pancha Ratna Gopinath Temple.” With a turn of events in the 18th century, the Puja was finally given the shape in which it is seen today. “In the 18th century, we built the Durga Dalan and the actual deity puja started. The exact year would have been about 1750 to 52.”
So what does this traditional Durga Puja entail? Biswas says, “The Puja starts from Pratipad, the day after Mahalaya. Since the Puja is an extension of the original Ghot puja, we still have the Chandipath on a daily basis. I’m sure it’s not the original Ghot that is used now but the one that is still used is almost 300 years old. During Sasthi evening, the Nabapatrika is introduced. It's not a prerequisite but it’s done, nonetheless.``
He also throws light on a legend surrounding the Puja which states that, “Gopinath came in the dreams of the then head of the family and said the noise and animal sacrifice was terrorising. Till today, every morning Gopinath is put to sleep and then the Puja starts with all the rituals as well as the animal sacrifice. In the evening, he is awakened and his arati takes place along with the puja aratis.”
Talking about what makes the Durga Puja so unique, he spills the beans saying, “The uniqueness lies in the not-very-conventional form of the Puja. The Durga idol has four arms holding a shield, sword, trident, and snake instead of the usual ten-armed Durga. This form is called Joy Durga and is a reflection of the Oriya roots. Karthik and Ganesh are placed above Lakshmi and Saraswati. We have a traditional ancient Bishnupuri Dhaker Saaj Style. Also, Lord Ganesh has two arms instead of the usual four. This form is called the Chintamani Ganesh which sometimes resembles the idols made in Maharashtra during Ganesh Chaturthi.”
But the story does not end with the Durga Puja Bhashan. Tilak mentions, “Prior to the actual immersion we keep the crown (mukut) of the Durga idol which is then sent to Tirol. Legend says that in the 18th century, there must have been some verbal commitment on the transfer of the Durga Crown from Dasghara to the village where it is put on the head of the Kali idol during their famous Kali Puja.”
The Durga Puja of the Deb Biswas family has been going on for centuries keeping traditions intact. It is free and open to all who would want to witness a Puja with a difference. Is Dasghara on your charts this festive season?
How to reach?
By Car: 3 hours (time might differ due to traffic conditions)
By Train: Board the Tarakeswar Local and then take a bus to Dasghara from the train station