Origin of Durga Puja ! Durga Puja dates back to the 17th century – it is said that Kangshanarayan, the King of Tahirpur, was the person behind the organization of the very 1st Durga Puja. However, some historians claim that the origin was around 1606 A.D. by Bhabananda Mazumdar, the King of Nadiya. The custom of worshipping Maa Durga on a grand scale soon spread to the homes of wealthy zamindars and royals. Till Baroari Puja was initiated, the rituals were conducted by family members only and commoners were allowed to join during special occasions. With the advent of Baroari Puja, which has completed a century, Durga Puja became a socio-cultural phenomenon instead of just being a religious and ritualistic celebration. The end result of the efforts of artists and artisans is indescribable – stunning, brilliant, captivating; are just some of the words that we can use to sum up their work. But the difficulty and sometimes hostile environment that they have to face remains unknown to us. Artist Prasanta Pal was designing a pandal with cow dung in the year 2001 for Darpo Narayan Thakur Street Puja. Since cow dung is considered sacred for Hindus, the theme promised to be something unusual and different. But everyone involved in the making of the Puja used to smell of cow dung after working for hours as a result of which they were denied entry in any form of public transport due to the foul odour of cow dung emitted from their bodies.One of the artisans who used to stay in Manicktala (located 3-4 kilometers. Away from the site) had to get hold of a bicycle to travel back and forth from his home – as no Bus or Auto would allow taking him. The term Barowari is derived from two words – “baro”, which means twelve in Bengali and yaar, meaning friends. It denotes a puja organized by twelve friends. All aspects of “Barowari Pujas” are organized and put together by the local communities. Hailing from Guptipara, situated 100 kms. away from Kolkata, the concept of such local pujas spread fast through different parts of West Bengal, particularly Kolkata. It has become immensely popular over the years.
Posted on: Mon, 07 Oct 2013 10:49:50 +0000