Garalgachha in Hooghly district is famous for its zamindar bari known to all as Babuder Bari, a popular tourist destination steeped in history and tradition. However, another family in this hamlet is also holding on to tradition through three centuries. Garalgachha Ramakrishna Chakraborty’s family have been worshipping Katyayani Durga through three centuries and seven generations even today.
Katyayani Durga is worshipped everyday at the Chakraborty residence in Garalgachha. The idol is a made of astadhatu (alloy of eight metals) that is not more than a foot tall complete with all 10 hands and a chalchitra at the back. The image is no less than 300 years old and was originally worshipped by Ramakrishna Chakraborty in the 17th century at his ancestral home in Kumilla, in present Bangladesh. According to family history, Ramakrishna was crossing the Meghna river by boat when he noticed an elderly man in another boat crying inconsolably with an astadhatu Durga idol on his lap. On asking, the man, a landlord of Noakhali district of then East Pakistan told Chakraborty that he was childless and there was no one in his family to offer regular puja to their family deity, Katyayani. So, he wanted to immerse the idol in the Meghna river. However, but he could not bring himself to immerse the idol in the water and was crying. Ramakrishna instantly asked the man to give him the idol and promised that he would worship the idol regularly with devotion. The man agreed and handed over Katyayani to Ramakrishna. “The landlord also donated debuttor property to the new sevait,” said Subimal Chakraborty, son of Yogesh Chakraborty, Ramakrishna’s grandson.
Ramakrishna’s son, Sashimohan was manager of a Nawab’s estate and an influential person. However his son, Yogesh Chandra Chakraborty had to leave their home in Kumilla and come to Calcutta as military junta of West Pakistan stepped up torture on people of East Pakistan, Bengali speaking Muslim and minority Hindus in 1960’s. Yogesh’s fourth son, a physics teacher at Chattagram University, packed the idol in a bag and migrated to West Bengal through Tripura. In 1970, Katyayani Durga was established at the family’s Dhakuria home. In 1972, they bought five bighas in Hooghly’s Garalgachha and established the idol in a makeshift bamboo hut.
Stories of miracles surround the idol of Katyayani Durga even today. In 1978, the idol was stolen by three thieves who broke in through the roof. One of them tried to dump the idol in a bamboo bush but could not do so. Eventually he was caught and the idol was rescued. “When questioned the thief had said that he was trying to dump the idol in the bamboo bush but miraculously the idol was getting heavier by the minute and at one time, he could not carry it any further,” said Bidhu Bhushan Chakraborty, a senior member of the family.
Durga Puja is a grand event at the family residence. Every family member is involved in the puja. Local people also have a lot of faith in Katyayani and visit the residence on these five days. The bhog, too, is special on these five days of the year. Sital panta is a must during these four days of the puja. This is regular steamed rice turned cold by adding water to it. Along with this, the deity is offered daler bora (lentil fritters), grated coconut and Gandharaj lemon leaves. This special offering is a favourite among all devotees who visit during Durga puja. The deity is also offered five types of fritters, dhokar dalna, paneer, pulao, luchi every day. Chire puli and kaler bora are special items on Ashtami. Animal sacrifice was also performed till 2019 on Saptami, Ashtami and Navami. However, this ritual was done away with since the pandemic. Now symbolic bottle gourds are sacrificed.
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