72-year-old Puja at Patna Kalibari sticks to tradition

Patna: For those in love with ‘shabeki’ (traditional) Durga Puja, Patna Kalibari in Yarpur is the one to visit.

Here Maa Durga, along with Lakshmi and Saraswati, are appearing in ‘sholar’ (made of shola, a kind of wild plant found in Bengal) and ‘daker saaj’ (literally means the adornments that come through post).

‘Daker saaj’ is typically made with colourful silver and golden foils, sequins and mica apart from other decorative items.

Artist Debashis Pal from West Bengal’s Nadia district, who is preparing the idol for Kalibari this year, says in earlier times, the raw materials for ‘daker saaj’ were not found in Bengal.

“So, they had to be imported. They used to come through post (daak in Bengali), hence the name ‘daaker saaj’,” says Pal, adding it was first popularised in Bengal at Krishnanagar.

For Kalibari, he is preparing the adornments of the Goddesses with shola and daak materials like foils and sequins of different colours. This is Pal’s second year working for Kalibari during Durga Puja, even as he has been working with the organisation for the last 40 years making the idols during Bashanti Puja, held during Chaiti Navaratra.

The work on the idols starts soon after Vishwakarma Puja, when the artist comes from Bengal to make the bare clay structure, before arriving back ahead of Durga Puja to give them their final forms.

“The idols are completed by Shasthi when they are unveiled, after which the priest adorns them with our real brass weapons. We take them out before visarjan (immersion),” says Debapriya Ghosh, joint secretary of Patna Kalibari.

Likewise, this year, as Patna Kalibari celebrates its 72nd Durga Puja, the idols of Goddess Durga and her family – Lakshmi, Saraswati, Lord Kartikeya and Ganesh – will be unveiled on Shasthi (Wednesday), with an invitation to the Devi, along with her ‘Adhivaas’. “The Puja, however, starts on Panchami (Tuesday) with ‘Bodhon’ (awakening), which will be performed at our Tulsi mancha,” says Ghosh.

Also, this year, the main three-day Puja from Saptami (seventh day of Navaratra)-Navami (ninth day) will take place in just two days. While Saptami Puja will be held on Thursday morning, Astami and Navami Pujas, along with Sandhi Puja (held between the two tithis when 108 lamps are lit, and 108 lotuses are offered to the Mother Goddess) will be held early on Friday morning.

Likewise, bhog (edible offering to the Goddess) will be distributed among the visitors on just two days. On Saptami Khichri bhog (which will include two side vegetable dishes, along with payesh and chutney) will be distributed, while on Ashtami, this time pulao (along with matar paneer, aaloo-gobi, chana dal, papaya chutney and kheer) will be given to the devotees.

Kalibari will hold ‘Deviboron’ (bidding the Mother Goddess adieu) and ‘sindoorkhela’ (where married women smear each other with vermillion) on Dashami (Saturday) after Aparajita Puja. “We distribute ‘dadhimangal’ (soaked flattened rice mixed with curd and jaggery) among the visitors on the day. After Deviboron till 2pm, we will take out the immersion procession towards Digha Ghat. In the evening, we spray ‘shantijal’ (holy Ganga water) on all those present at the mandap,” says Ghosh.


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