The History of Durga Puja In Bengal - Evolution Of Durga Pujo From Zamindar Households To Sarvajanik Public Festival

There are various stories about the history of Durga Puja in Bengal.

Legend has it that the Maharaja of Dinajpur first performed Durga Puja in 1500 after receiving a divine vision (dream).

According to others, Kansa Narayan, one of the Baro Bhuiyans (twelve territorial landlords), introduced the practice of Durga Puja.

However, according to history, Durga Puja was first initiated by Maharaja Krishnachandra in Nadia in the year 1601.

Later, in 1910, the first community Durga Puja (Sarbojanin Durgotsav) was organized in Kolkata at Balaram Basu Ghat Street in Bhowanipore. The festival, which was previously confined to the homes of the 'Babus' (affluent class), now became public.

From Zamindar Households To Sarvajanik Public Festival - Evolution Of Durga Pujo

Today Durga Puja is the greatest festival of Bengal and the Bengalis. Beyond the religious rituals and mythological narratives, Durga Puja has evolved into 'Durgotsav' (Festival of Durga). The worship of Goddess Durga began in the courtyards and thakur dalans (temple halls) of kings and zamindars (landowners). By the rule of time, Durga Puja has now transformed into a universal festival (Sarbojanin Utsav). How did the worship of Durga become a universal festival in Bengal?

According to folklore, the custom of this Puja was started by the Maharaja of Malda Dinajpur around 1500 AD after he received a divine instruction in a dream. Some believe that King Kangsa Narayan of Tahirpur initiated Durga Puja. Around 1580, during the reign of Akbar, Kangsa Narayan, one of the Baro Bhuiyans (twelve territorial landlords) of Bengal, amazed everyone by celebrating the Puja with great pomp and splendour. It was King Kangsa Narayan who worshipped Goddess Uma along with her children. According to another theory, Udaynarayan, the father of Kuluka Bhatta (commentator on the Manusmriti), first began Durga Puja. Kangsa Narayan was his grandson. The Durga Puja of the Mallabhum Kings of Bishnupur is over a thousand years old. Even today, Pat (scroll painting) Durga is worshipped in the Mallabhum region.

History suggests that in 1601, Maharaja Krishnachandra's ancestor, Bhabananda Majumdar, first started Durga Puja in Nadia. In the post-Battle of Plassey era, Durga Puja took on the form of a grand festival under the patronage of Raja Krishnachandra.

In British India, due to the Company's various settlements, the class of Zamindars and Babus suddenly emerged. Although they possessed huge amounts of money, none of them were from historically wealthy or 'aristocratic' families. Therefore, Durga Puja became a medium for them to display their wealth and opulence, a means of exhibiting their 'nouveau riche' (ostentatious) aristocracy. In short, the Durga Puja at the Babus' houses became a symbol of social nobility. The wealthy organized Durga Puja to please the British officers. At that time, the worship of the Goddess remained confined to the identity of a family event at the Babus' houses.

Nothing lasts forever. By the rule of time, one such Babu of Guptipara, Hooghly, faced a financial crisis. Around 1790, the Bindhyabasini Puja at his house was on the verge of being shut down. Would the Puja really stop? Twelve local people stepped forward. They raised money through contributions (Chanda) and organized the Puja. The word 'Barowari' originated from the 12 'yars' or 'friends'. This is how the 'Barowari' or Universal Durga Puja began. Shri Pantha wrote, "Journalists of that time used to write about this Puja as 'Bar-eyari'. Hootom used to call it 'Baroi-yari'."

According to historians, the first Durga Puja in the city of Calcutta was held in 1610 in the atchala (eight-roofed) marquee of the Sabarna Roy Choudhury family in Barisha. Since the British era, Durga Puja has been organized with great fanfare in the Zamindar houses of Kolkata. The 'red-faced Sahibs' (British officers) also participated in them. The Battle of Plassey in 1757 brought about several changes in the socio-economic and political landscape of Bengal. In the same year, Durga Puja began at the Sovabazar Rajbari (Royal Palace). It is said that Raja Nabakrishna Deb spent vast sums on entertainment and amusement, inviting the Sahibs to the Sovabazar Rajbari Durga Puja. Robert Clive was invited to the Rajbari's Puja. Nabakrishna left no stone unturned in accommodating Clive. The Sahibs regularly graced the Zamindar house Pujas as chief guests.

The Barowari Puja in Kolkata started at the beginning of the 20th century. In 1910, the 'Sanatan Dharmotsahini Sabha' of Balaram Basu Ghat Street, Bhowanipore, officially held the first Barowari Puja in the heart of Calcutta. Within a decade, universal Durga Puja also started in Bagbazar. In response to the demands of the time, the influence of Barowari Durga Puja gradually increased in the city. Bengal's Durga Puja moved from being familial to 'Sarbojanin' (Universal). The worship of the privileged became the festival of the masses.