Bonedi bari pujas: Kolkata’s old family Durga Pujas
Before the theme pandals there were the family pujas in old mansions. Several still open their courtyards to visitors. How to see them, and how to behave when you do.
Bonedi means old and established, and a bonedi bari is an old family house. Long before community pujas filled the streets, Durga Puja in Kolkata was held inside these houses, in a pillared hall called the thakur dalan that faces an open courtyard. Several families still hold their puja there every year, much as their ancestors did, and some welcome visitors.
What makes them different
- The idol is usually ekchala: Durga and her children under a single arch, in the traditional style rather than a themed sculpture.
- The rituals follow the family’s own customs, kept for generations, and the puja is the point rather than the pandal.
- There is no queue in the theme-pandal sense, no light show, and often no loudspeaker. It is a family home during its most important week of the year.
Where to find them
Most of the well-known family pujas are in north and central Kolkata, close enough to combine with a north Kolkata walk.
- Sovabazar Rajbari, the Deb family’s puja and the most famous of them all, commonly dated to 1757. A second Rajbari puja is held at the family’s Chhoto Rajbari alongside it.
- Hatkhola Dutta Bari, among the oldest heritage pujas of the city.
- Thanthania Dutta Bari, in a classic north Kolkata mansion near MG Road.
- Jorasanko Shib Krishna Daw Bari, known for its silver-ornamented idol and strictly traditional rituals.
- Rani Rashmoni Bari at Janbazar, the family puja of Rani Rashmoni, now continued across branches of the family.
- In the south-west, the Sabarna Roy Choudhury family puja at Barisha, and Behala’s Jagat Ram Mukherjee Bari.
- Sovabazar Rajbari
- Thanthania Dutta Bari
- Hatkhola Dutta Bari
- Rani Rashmoni Bari
- Jorasanko Shib Krishna Daw Bari
How to visit
- Remember it is someone’s home. Visiting hours vary and some parts of the house are private. Follow what family members or volunteers ask.
- Go in the morning or early afternoon, when the rituals are under way and the house is calm. Ashtami morning, for the anjali, is especially moving but also the busiest.
- Dress modestly, take your shoes off where others do, and keep your voice down in the thakur dalan.
- Ask before photographing a ritual, and never use a flash near the idol.
- Do not touch the idol, the offerings or the ritual objects.
Seeing even one of these after a night of theme pandals is a reminder of where the festival came from. For that story, see the site’s history of Durga Puja in Bengal.