Bolla Kali Puja is a unique puja performed in Dakshin Dinajpur District of Bengal. The puja here is not performed on Kartik Amavasya but on the Friday after Raas Purnima, the full moon day in Kartik Month. on The Friday following Ras Purnima, Mahapuja of Goddess Kali — the Great Worship — takes place. Nearly four hundred to five hundred thousand devotees gather to offer prayers, songs, and their hearts to Bolla Ma, the Mother who watches over all. Dinajpur Bolla Kali Puja 2025 date is November 7.
Dinajpur Bolla Kali Puja - The Landlord's Ordeal: A Story of
Faith and Freedom
It was a night of utter darkness, devoid of any glimmer of
light. Murari, the landlord of Dinajpur, spent a sleepless night in deep turmoil.
His anxiety was profound, as the fates of countless subjects and their families
were tied to his own. He understood that a sentence of life imprisonment or
exile would inevitably doom those who depended on him.
With closed eyes, he recalled the form of his village's
goddess, Morka Kali. Her image—fierce yet compassionate—appeared whenever he
shut his eyes. Murmuring softly, Murari prayed:
“Mother, you must watch over us. The villagers have
worshipped you as their mother for generations. Don’t abandon us tonight.”
Murari had directly challenged the powerful British
authorities. Such an act rarely allowed for an easy escape. Yet, in his heart,
he believed that what the Goddess wills, must happen. The very word 'Mother'
carried the power of boundless compassion.
And so it came to pass—the landlord and his subjects were
freed. They returned to the village, dancing with unbridled joy.
The Birth of a Tradition
From that time onward, Morka Kali was worshipped on the Phalharini
Amavasya, a dark-moon night dedicated to the Goddess.
But that year, winter had just begun, and the wait until
Amavasya felt too long. So, the villagers decided to hold the puja on the
Friday following Ras Purnima. From that day to the present, the Goddess has
been worshipped in that way.
The Legacy of Bolla Ma
Since then, the Morka-destroying Goddess, once worshipped by
Zamindar Ballabh Choudhury, came to be known as Bolla Kali Ma — the Great
Mother of Bolla, the protector of all.
Centuries ago, guided by a divine dream, villagers had
lifted a sacred stone from a pond — the Shakti Adhar Shila, the seat of her
power. Upon that stone, the first worship was performed.
Over the ages, the Mother’s image grew vast and majestic,
her flowing veil embracing not just Dinajpur, but countless devotees far and
wide.
The Sculptor’s Vision
It was a crisp winter afternoon. The sunlight lacked its
usual warmth. Master Pal, the idol-maker, was giving the finishing touches to
the Goddess’s clay image. Holding up a lamp close to her face to see clearly,
he felt as though someone exhaled — a sudden, soft whoosh!
Startled, the lamp slipped from his hand. He trembled — it
seemed the Goddess had grown angry, her face flushed by the heat of the flame.
He whispered in fear,
“Mother, forgive me! I didn’t realize… it was a mistake.”
A gentle, knowing smile appeared on the idol’s lips. The
clay features seemed to come alive — radiant, divine. The Goddess was truly
present there, the eternal Mother among her children.