3-century-old Seoraphuli Rajbari Durga Puja ‘bodhan’ held six days ahead of Mahalaya
The Statesman | 15 September 2025
The three-century-old Durga Puja of Seoraphuli Rajbari has held fast to its unique traditional rituals and culture over the years. It does not run parallel with the usual Durga Puja rites and appearances. The uniqueness of this Puja has drawn devotees from far and near, and earned a reputable place on the state tourism map. The Puja was started by the Zamindar of Seoraphuli, Manohar Roy, whose estate extended as far as Burdwan. Once, for the benefit of his subjects, he ordered the digging of a huge water body at Patuli in Burdwan.
Traditional lore has it that he dreamt of Goddesses Durga in the form of Devi Sarvamangla, who told him to free her Astadhatu idol (made from eight types of metals) embedded deep in the soil where the water body was dug. To everyone’s surprise, an Astadhatu idol of Devi Sarvamangla did surface as the pond was dug. Raja Manohar then placed the idol on a throne in a specially built temple for the deity in the estate premises at Seoraphuli. This was in 1734. The idol of Devi Sarvamangla (a form of Durga) is not accompanied by her children Lakshmi, Saraswati, Kartick and Ganesh. The lion she rides looks more like a horse (called haya griba). Over the years, the Raja’s descendents have followed this form of the Goddess and the accompanying 300-year-old rituals, which are quite different from the usual Durga Puja rituals.
Ashish Ghosh, a present generation family member, said: “The Bodhan (the day the worship of Durga begins) starts six days ahead of Mahalaya (that is, tomorrow). The idol is not immersed after the Vijaya Dashami, but is worshiped round the year. On the four days of Durga Puja, the present generation of the Raja’s descendents come together in the Seoraphuli Rajbari to seek blessings of the Goddesses. This legend, and the belief in the divine powers of the Devi Sarvamangla of Seoraphuli Rajbari, has spread far and wide, drawing a large number of devotees every year. Through the years, these traditions and practices have not only enjoyed the patronage of the Muslim rulers but that of the European administrators as well. One can have a glimpse of a big brass bell hanging within the temple that had been gifted by a British leader even today.