Bonedi bari pujas are Kolkata's old family Durga Pujas, held in thakur dalans with ekchala idols and old rites. What sets them apart, where to go, etiquette.
Durga in the thakurdalan of Sovabazar Rajbari, an old family puja. Photo: Biswarup Ganguly, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons.
The thakur dalan is a worship hall built into the house, usually facing a central courtyard, with columns, arches and often decorative plasterwork.
Sovabazar Rajbari's Durga is readied on boats at Baghbazar Ghat for immersion in the Hooghly. Photo: Biswarup Ganguly, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons.
These are among the most widely known family pujas in Kolkata. Timings, access and customs change, so check locally before you go.
Durga in the thakurdalan of Sovabazar Rajbari, an old family puja. Photo: Biswarup Ganguly, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons.
The easiest way is to combine bonedi baris with the old community pujas of north Kolkata.
Howrah Bridge (Rabindra Setu) over the Hooghly. Photo: Ovjtphoto, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons.
You are a guest in someone's home and place of worship.
Durga in the thakurdalan of Sovabazar Rajbari, an old family puja. Photo: Biswarup Ganguly, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons.
Bonedi bari pujas are Kolkata's old family Durga Pujas, held in thakur dalans with ekchala idols and old rites. What sets them apart, where to go, etiquette.
Bonedi bari pujas → Next story: Chandi Path: reciting the Durga Saptashati All photo storiesMusic: Sitar sample yaman, Tito Dutta, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons.