Durga Puja in Cooch Behar

A tradition kept up...
Debashis Bhaumik COOCH BEHAR, Oct. 7: Indian mythology gives us stories is Durga in her many forms. One such form ~ Baro Devi is worshipped with great grandeur at the Debibari temple in Cooch Behar. Hundreds of devotees witnessed the sacrifice of buffalo, goats and pigeons that were offered to the diety at the temple on the occasion of Mahaastami, today.Baro Devi is a deity worshipped by the Cooch Behar royal family. The idol is different from that of Durga. According to legend, Maharaja Nara Narayan started the puja in 1533 AD. after he had a dream. The idol of Baro Devi was made in accordance to the description of his dream. The idol remains identical to the first one till date to keep the tradition alive and Punyeswar Chitrakar of Chitrakar family of Dodeyarpar has been entrusted to make the idol this year. The puja is performed under Cooch Behar Debottar Trust Board (DTB) ~ the guardian body of all temples and religious places of erstwhile Cooch Behar. The DTB is running under the state tourism department. Human sacrifice ~ Nara-Boli ~ was a part of the puja tradition in Cooch Behar but since the heinous act is longer permitted, that tradition is maintained symbolically by sacrificing a human image made of rice-powder on the Maha-Astami night during gupta-puja (secret worship). Human blood is needed to perform the gupta-puja. A man from Roy family of Kaljani village supplies the blood by piercing his fingers as a hereditary act. The Cooch Behar Debottar Trust Board pays him for the act. According to sources, once nearly 150 people were sacrificed during the puja which earned the ruling king a lot of fame and accolade. Later, the system was discontinued.Sacrifice is a major part of the Baro Devi puja. Goats, buffaloes, hogs and numerous pigeons are sacrificed here. Sacrifice of hog is a speciality of Baro Devi puja, which is done during Chaliya-Bariya puja ritual. The puja ends on Maha-Navami. The large image is sliced into pieces and immersed at Jamuna (Lamba) Dighi. During the Raj, the Maharaja, would sit on an elephant to set a Khanjan (wagtail) bird free on Bijoya Dashami during Yatra-puja ritual. The last time a Khanjan was set free was in 1969.A fair is also organised during the puja days around the Baro Devi temple at Debi Bari in Cooch Behar. Numerous devotees from distant places come to witness the puja and offer anjali to the Baro Devi. source: the statesman

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