10 Durga Pujas of Kolkata that still show you a glimpse of how it was done in the good old days

In case you aren’t much acquainted with Bengal’s Durga Puja Syndrome, yet quite interested about the same, this article is for you. As most Indians, it’s not surprising that you would be having at least one Bengali friend who has annoyed you by now telling you about Durga Puja since last few weeks. Durga Puja has invariably been a melting pot of culture in Bengal since the days of the British Raj. And there are two variants of Durga Puja in Bengal. One is ‘Sarbojonin’ or ‘Barowari’, the one that is funded by the public, while the other being ‘Bonedi Bari’ or pujas at the houses of former zamindars that have been happening for last few centuries.

We would talk about the Sarbojonin one later on some other day and right now focus on the Bonedi Bari ones.

Travel back the time, the rich zamindars of undivided Bengal who had came to Kolkata with much opulence and luxury to enjoy city life had initiated Durga Puja in their residential premises. Centuries have flown down the Ganges and the properties have got divided among brothers, sometimes with a bitter dividend, but the legacy of the puja brings them all together.

We have listed down 10 must-attend Bonedi Bari Durga Puja that you must visit if you are in Kolkata during the first week of October.

(Image: Flickr)