BPA team explored Dasghara, Chakdighi, Kulingram etc. on 10.10.2016, to see age old Durga Puja and temples.

Biswasbari Durga Puja

From Tarakeswar, Dasghara is about 10 km distance. Durga Puja of  Biswas Bari is renowned over here. The entire village participates in these four days of festival which reveals its uniqueness.  Biswas Bari Durga puja is about 290 years old. Sri Debasis Biswas, the descendant of Biswas family, informed that Sadananda Biswas established the Gopinath Temple in the year 1729 and Durga Puja was a later edition. Durga Dalan and adjacent Charchala Dolmancha, nine pinnacled Rasmancha in octagonal shape etc. were added later in the year 1836. The idol of the deity Durga is having four hands and also that Ganesh and Kartick are placed above Lakshmi and Saraswati. The Chintamoni Ganesh represents Odishi style probably due to the decendance of Biswas family from Odisha in the 18th Century. Here animal sacrifice is still being practiced as a part of Durga puja.

Adjacent to Durga Dalan is five pinnacled Gopinath Temple ornamented with brisk terracotta works. Other than depiction of daily village life and their culture, Ramayana and Mahabharata episodes are depicted beautifully on it.

Roybari Durga Puja

Opposite the main road from Tarakeswar station, Durga puja of Roy family is also very renowned for its grandeur.  The priest was still chanting  Chandipath in his own style when BPA team arrived. A huge dhak was placed on the floor. The Durga dalan is placed  in the centre surrounded by the main buildings. The roof top is covered by colored fiber glass which appears very decorative from the ground.

Bipin Krishna Roy (1851-1911) had been the mainstay of the Roy family.  Many relics are still strewn over there. Among the relics are a plaque of charitable dispensary adjacent to the main building, the lion seated huge gateway, octagonal clock tower, gothic pillars, a colonial garden with marble statues inside and so on.

Chakdighi Singha Roy Family

Singha Roy family is also renowned for Durga Puja. The puja mondap is adjacent to its main building  for the open view of the public. But the festival over here is very closed and limited within its own family members. No outsider is allowed inside the building. Photography is also prohibited. BPA members took some snaps of the building from a faraway.

Singha Roys came to Bengal along with Raja Man Singha of Rajasthan. They had their origin from Kshatriyas of Jadubangsa. The 350 year old building was designed by French architect. However, the Sinha Roy family had played a major role during the renaissance period of Bengal. They were active in many social movements and developmental works.  The family took part in the fight for abolition of Polygamy, resistance for early marriage of girls, introducing  remarriage of the widow girls etc. Pandit Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar was also closely associated with this family. Singha Roy family had also established school for the girls, home for the aged people, metal roads for Bardhaman etc.

BPA members also visited the other part of this estate, the dilapidated portion now being resided by the caretaker Bhajan Singh. We took snaps of this old person hailing from Hariyana and residing as guard of the family for the last 40years.

Kulin Gram

BPA members also took the opportunity to visit this part for its heritage. Maladhar Basu, the great poet of Krishna Vijay Kabya, resided in this village. A plaque is built up in his memory nearby to his residence. Among other very old temples visited by the members are Ramnath Mandir, Gopal Mandir, Ratha, Gopeswar Mandir etc.

The member had also plan to visit Joe Gram, Sat Deulia and Mosagram. But due to shortage of time the places remained unexplored.