This document summarizes the 2011 Durga Puja celebrations held by the Ghosh family in Ghoshpara, West Bengal, India. It has been a 550-year tradition passed down through the family. The rituals and practices have been carefully maintained, including the clay figurines made for the goddess Durga and daily prayers/ceremonies. Over the course of several days, the puja involves bathing and dressing the figurines, musical performances, communal prayers and meals, and finally immersing the figurines in a local river. The document shares photos documenting the various rituals and events over the course of the annual celebration.

1. “Ghosh Baari Durga Puja 2011”
Heritage of faith; kept intact
Much have been told about the originality and, timeline of the Durga Utsav of the Ghosh family of
Ghoshpara, Jaamgram, Pandooah, of Hooghly District; approximately 61 km from Calcutta, West
Bengal, India. This age old practice of divine celebration attracts the devotees for the nitty-gritties the
family has maintained, in terms of rituals and practices; since 550 years, as time-honored by Sri
Makaranda Ghosh; 28 generations ago, as appeared in his dream to commemorate the wish of
Mahamaya to be praised by the family.
Here I am plotting the layout of the entire festival and its description from the person, who became
the house-wife of this very “ Family”, at the age of 14; and took the responsibility of the rituals and the
practices of the family “Durga-Utsav” at the age of 16. Since then, on every alternative year, what they
call their Paalaa or term, continued as it is.
We are about to begin the journey, through and through in pictures that might tell you thousands of
words and more stories. Here, I present you the Biophotopic of 2011 Durga Puja as seen through my
Nikkor Lens…

2. Panchami

3. Welcome to the Ghosh Bari Durga Dalan
2011

4. As I entered and about to step into the
main mandir

5. Shringar – stolen moment

6. Sringar – the final touch

7. Shashti

8. Kalpa Puja 1

9. Kalpa puja 2

10. Dhakis
Accompaning
Kalpa Puja

11. Clay Katora Exclusively For
Bhog To Durga & Other
Divines

12. Bodhan Preparation

13. Bodhan Naibidya

14. BODHAN ARTI

15. DHAKIS ACCOMPANING BODHAN ARTI

16. Shifting Of Naibidyas From Bodhan Tala To Thakur
Dalan

17. Naba Pattrika
Prabesh

18. Naba Pattrika
Close-up

19. ODHIBASH - DURGA BARAN

20. Odhibash

21. Making Of
Mangal Suttra

22. Mangal Suttra

23. Tying Of
Mangal Suttra
to Mahamaya

24. Tying Frame 2

25. Tying Frame 3

26. Shaptami

27. Collection Of Rice For Mahanaibidya

28. Orientation Of Collected Rice

29. Giving The Shape

30. Supply Of Rice, Till It Becomes 18.5 Kg Per Day Making It
340 Kg Of Rice For All 4 Days, For All The Naibidyas

31. Mahanaibidya –
About To Take
The Final Shape

32. The Mahanaibidya

33. Along With Mahanibidya, The
Other Naibidyas To Display A Few

34. Way To Taalpukur - Kolabou Chaan

35. Kolabou Chaan, The Pre-dawn Affair

36. Taalpukur

37. The Ritual Begins

38. Tel - Holud Chaan

39. The Holy
Dip

40. Puja

41. When The Chaan Is Over

42. Way Back To Mandir

43. Stepping In For The Maha Snan

44. Angot Kola Pata To Rest The Kola Bou

45. Maha Snaan - Take 1

46. Maha Snaan - Take 2

47. Kola Bou Shringar 1

48. Kola Bou Shringar
2

49. Kola Bou Shringar 3

50. Shindur Daan

51. Praan Pratishttha

52. Chokku Daan - Shampurno Habar Por

53. Griha Laxmi Pratishtta

54. Kola Bou & The Griha Laxmi

55. Jaag Padeep
Must Burn Till
Dashami

56. It’s An Omen If The Pradeep Goes Off.
Someone Takes Care To Keep It Burning

57. This Age Or That Age, In This Durga Dalan, The Spirit Of
Mahamaya Is Ageless

58. The Divine Beauty

59. Among Her Many
Forms Lets Hope She
Will Usher The Wealth
So To Help Us Bring
Mother Forever And
After

60. Brahmin Bhojan 1

61. Brahmin Bhojan 2

62. Kola Bou Griha Laxmi
Shandya Arti

63. Second Day I Am With You
As I Promise Every Year

64. Mother Is At
Every Arc Of
Life

65. Shandhya Arti - Mukh

66. Shandhya Arti

67. Shandhya Arti Nabhi

68. Dhakis, The Integral Part Of The Puja

69. They Have Come Before & Come Again
When The Time Came

70. Happiness
In The Air

71. Let thy Spirit Come To Us

72. Sampurna

73. Sampurna Shaptami

74. Ashtthami

75. From The Divinity – Daridra Narayan Bhoj

76. One Of Many Rounds

77. One Those Rounds

78. A Panoramic View – Daridra Narayan Bhojan

79. As The Evening Sky Grew Dark

80. Shandhya Arti

81. The Arti

82. In The Midst Of
The Arti

83. As The Veteran Watches The Jaag Pradeep

84. Under The Feet Of Mother – All Is Blessed…

85. Shandikyan

86. One Hundred
And Eight
Diyas

87. Naibidyas &
Shandikhyan

88. Puja Begins – Shandikhyan

89. Yagna

90. Yagna & Pushpanjali

91. Offering To
Agni Dev

92. Surrendering The Self In Shandikhyan Arti

93. Placing Of Kamal At Mother’s Feet – Sampurna Shadikhyan

94. Ashthami Bhog After Shandikkhan &
Onset Of Navami

95. Ashthami Bhog After Shandikkhan & Onset Of Navami

96. Navami

97. Shandhya Arti

98. Dashami

99. Puja – Dashami Morning

100. Naibidya &
Dadhikarma

101. Kumari Puja

102. Kumari Puja – Shringar

103. Mantra

104. Pranaam

105. Wearing Aalta On Feet By The 28th Generation

106. Receiving Offering From Double Her Generation – Head Of Ghosh Bari
– As Goddess Durga Resides In Her At The Age Of Eight, For She Is
Aparajita

107. Summer’s Almost Gone

108. The Tough Knots
To Lift The Spirits

109. With All Mental Strength
Lifting The Bodies

110. On The Move

111. The Final Step – Out From The Mandir

112. When The Music Is Over

113. Biding The Final Adieu

114. Emptiness

115. Mingling To Wait Till Next Year

116. Approaching Time

117. Pradakkhin

118. Counting The Rounds

119. The Spinning Steps

120. Durga Baron Take

121. Baron Take 2

122. Baron Take 3

123. Baron Take 4

124. Baron Take 5

125. Moment before kanakaanjali, unfortunately I missed the actual act of the same, for
some one crossed my lens during the shutter lag after I released the shutter; biggest
downside of digital compact

126. Shindur Khela

127. Shindur Khela Continues

128. Outside Activities –
Making Of Bamboo
Carriage With
Precision Of Inch.
Mother To Travel On
Shoulder

129. Lifting For Inside Out

130. A Quick Muscle Work & Durga Dalan Has Changed
Into Nothingness

131. All Insiders’
Farewell For Her
Safe Journey &
Hope For The
Next Year

132. Tying The Final Knot
With All our
Confidence We
Have Had From Her

133. About To Escalate

134. Off To Nandi Bari To Call Her Sister To Accompany
In Her Journey

135. Here Comes Nandi Bari, And As We Can See The Back Of her
Sister, As No Two Idols Can Stand Face To Face

136. Her Sister – A Glimpse

137. A Long Night March
To Taalpukur

138. Taalpukur - Loose Yourself – Blend
In There

139. Absolute White Night

140. At The Ghat For Immersion

141. Immersion

142. Everything Living Is Leaving Her Face – Soon
She Will Disappear In The Still Water

143. Until Next
Year –
And The
Festival Is
Fading Now

144. White Night In
The Woods

145. Shadows Of Light

146. Shantir Jal

147. Sampurna Durga
Utsav
2011

148. Acknowledgement
• Gratitude To Jaamgram
Ghosh Family & Other
Members
• Purohit Sri Durga Das &
Bitta Das
• The Dhakis For Waking
Me Up; And…
• My Family Members
• Powered by:
Debashis Kar
• Pt. Rajan & Sajan
Mishra
• Raga – Durga
• Vocal
• Ustad Amjad Ali Khan
• Raga – Durga
• Sarod