Shorter idols, home-cooked bhog, sanitised pushpanjali flowers, limited to no visitors, etc., this is how iconic Bonedi Bari Durga Pujas in Kolkata will look like this year. By Tanvi Jain
View this post on Instagram
As Kolkata gears up for a completely different kind of Durga Puja this year amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the aristocratic households of Kolkata also known as the iconic ‘Bonedi Baris’, have come up their own set of guidelines for the family pujas, to the extent of even bringing changes to their centuries-old practices.
This year, many have decided to not allow outsiders, and instead performs puja with the core family members only. Other changes include, shorter than usual size of the idols, use of only sanitised flowers for pushpanjali, no cut fruits for prasad, only home cooked bhog, etc. Even the ‘kumari puja’ or ‘kala bou snan’ will not be as elaborately celebrated as earlier.
View this post on Instagram
While the Bowbazar’s Haldar Bari puja, and Kolkata’s famous family of gun merchants known as the ‘Daws of Jorasanko’ have decided to completely restrict the entry of visitors, the Sovabazar Rajbari has allowed 25 visitors but only after checking their temperatures. However, none except the core family members will be allowed to take a walk up to the ‘thakur dalan’.
Similarly, Hatibagan’s Kundu Bari will reportedly put up a five-feet Durga idol this year, unlike the earlier eight-feet one and will also live stream the puja. Another famous Bonedi Bari, Laha Bari will even put up a stall at the entrance, to distribute masks and sanitisers, and will give prasad in packed boxes.
View this post on Instagram
The rich legacy of ‘Bonedi Bari’ dates to the zamindar era of the undivided Bengal when people moved to Kolkata back then, and later their lifestyle became a part of the city. However, with time, their finances started going on a downward slope, after which many such families started organising annual rituals of inviting hundreds of guests for meals.
Kolkata hosts a total of 20 traditional pujas, all of them at least 150 years old — the most famous ones being those hosted by the Sabarna Roy Chowdhury family, the Sovabazar Rajbari and Rani Rashmoni. The city’s traditional households such as Dorjeepara Mitra, Hathkhola Duttas, Chhatubabu Latubabur Puja, Sovabazar Rajbari, Thanthania Dutta family and Rani Rashmoni’s puja, even open up their gates for tourists to take a sneak-peek into the zamindari style of celebrating Durga Puja.
Related: This Year’s Durga Puja Is Going To Be Noticeably Different And It’s Not What You Think