# Kola Bou: the Nabapatrika and its nine plants

> The Kola Bou ("banana bride"), properly the Nabapatrika, is a bundle of nine plants (banana, colocasia, turmeric, jayanti, bel, pomegranate, ashoka, arum and paddy) worshipped during Durga Puja as nine forms of the goddess. On Maha Saptami morning it is bathed in a river or at a ghat, dressed in a red-bordered sari and placed beside Ganesha. In 2026 Saptami falls on Sunday 18 October.

Source: https://pujoparikramaguide.in/durga-puja/rituals/kola-bou/ (updated 2026-10-06)

The **Kola Bou** (*kola*, banana; *bou*, bride) is the most affectionate name for the **Nabapatrika** (*naba*, nine; *patrika*, plants or leaves), a bundle of nine plants worshipped during Durga Puja as nine forms of the goddess. On the morning of **Maha Saptami**, Sunday 18 October in 2026, it is bathed, dressed in a sari and installed beside Ganesha, and it is worshipped with the idol until Dashami.

## The nine plants and their goddesses

The plants are tied together around a banana plant with a white aparajita creeper, along with a pair of bel fruits. Texts and family traditions assign each plant to a form of the goddess. The list below follows the commonly cited scheme; names can vary slightly in different sources.

| Plant (Bengali) | English | Goddess it represents |
|---|---|---|
| Kola | Banana | Brahmani |
| Kochu | Colocasia (taro) | Kalika |
| Holud | Turmeric | Durga |
| Jayanti | Jayanti (Sesbania) | Kartiki |
| Bel | Wood apple | Shiva (Shivaa) |
| Dalim | Pomegranate | Raktadantika |
| Ashok | Ashoka tree | Shokarahita |
| Maan kochu | Arum (giant taro) | Chamunda |
| Dhan | Paddy (rice) | Lakshmi |

Together they are worshipped as **Nabapatrikavasini**, the goddess who dwells in the nine plants.

## Why plants?

The Nabapatrika is one of the oldest-feeling elements of the puja. Many historians and folklorists connect it with harvest and fertility rites: Durga Puja falls when the autumn rice crop is ripening in Bengal, and several of the nine are food or medicinal plants. Worshipping them honours the goddess as the life in vegetation, crops and nourishment. Whatever its origins, today it is an integral part of the Bengali puja.

## The morning bath

At dawn on Saptami, the Nabapatrika is carried to the river, a pond or a ghat for **Nabapatrika snan**, its ritual bath, with dhak drums, conch shells and ululation. In Kolkata the ghats along the Hooghly are crowded with these small processions. Pujas far from water bathe it in the pandal with water brought for the purpose. The waters and substances used vary by tradition.

After the bath it is wrapped in a new **white or cream sari with a red border**, with the end drawn over the top like a veil, marked with sindoor and carried back, often under an umbrella. The priest then performs *prana pratishtha* and the main Saptami puja begins. See [Saptami](/durga-puja/rituals/saptami/) for the full sequence.

## Why she stands beside Ganesha

The Kola Bou is placed **beside Ganesha**, traditionally on his right. Because she is dressed like a newly married bride and stands next to him, she is popularly called **Ganesha's wife**, and children in Bengal often grow up hearing her called that. In ritual terms, though, she is the goddess herself, which is why some describe her as Ganesha's mother rather than his bride. Both ideas live side by side in the festival's folklore.

## Where to see it

- At dawn on Saptami, at the ghats in North Kolkata near [Bagbazar](/guide/pandals/bagbazar/) and [Ahiritola](/guide/pandals/ahiritola/).
- In old family pujas such as [Sovabazar Rajbari](/guide/pandals/sovabazar_rajbari/), where the Kola Bou stands in the *thakur dalan* (worship hall). See [bonedi bari pujas](/durga-puja/bonedi-bari-pujas/) and the [North Kolkata heritage trail](/guide/trails/north_heritage/).
- In any pandal from Saptami onwards: look to the side of Ganesha for a sari-wrapped bundle of leaves.

On Dashami she is bid farewell along with the goddess; see [Bijoya Dashami](/durga-puja/rituals/dashami/). For the whole sequence, see [Durga Puja rituals day by day](/durga-puja/rituals/).

## Frequently asked questions

**What is the Kola Bou?**
It is the Nabapatrika, nine plants tied together and dressed in a sari, worshipped as the goddess Durga during the puja. Kola means banana and bou means bride, because the banana plant forms its core and it is dressed like a veiled bride.

**What are the nine plants of Nabapatrika?**
Banana (kola), colocasia (kochu), turmeric (holud), jayanti, bel or wood apple, pomegranate (dalim), ashoka, arum (maan kochu) and paddy (dhan).

**Is Kola Bou Ganesha's wife?**
That is the popular belief, because she stands beside Ganesha dressed as a bride. In ritual terms, though, the Nabapatrika represents the goddess Durga herself in nine forms.

**When is the Kola Bou bathed?**
At dawn on Maha Saptami, which in 2026 is Sunday 18 October. The bath, called Nabapatrika snan, usually takes place in the Ganga or at a pond, and is followed by a procession back to the pandal.

**Why are plants worshipped in Durga Puja?**
Many scholars see the Nabapatrika as a link to older harvest and fertility worship, since Durga Puja falls in the autumn crop season. It honours the goddess as the power in all vegetation and nourishment.