From Mughals, British, to the Centre, Durga Puja supported by all realms

More than five centuries old, a tradition and custom that has braved the vagaries of time, its intrinsic nature winning the support of one leader after another, no matter the allegiance. That, succinctly, sums up the Ghoshal Bari Durga Puja in Konnagar.

- HEMANT JACOB

One of the oldest Durga Pujas to be celebrated every year, the Ghoshal Bari Puja dates back to the rule of Akbar. The Mughal emperor was well known for his religious tolerance and respect for all faiths. One of his acts was to issue a Panja (certificate recognising zamindari rights) to the Ghoshal family of Konnagar in the late 16th Century.

At the same time, he asked the then zamindar of the Ghoshal dynasty to conduct their family Durga Puja in the barwari form (Durga Puja open to all of the area).

At the instructions of Akbar, the Ghoshal Bari family Durga Puja took a shape that still holds today, thrown open for the common people, with mass participation and worship by all, irrespective of caste and creed.