During this festive season of Durga Puja, Swargadham in Berhampore has a lot in store to offer and add to the culture of visiting puja pandals, hopping around restaurants, getting together with friends; inviting celebrities for the inauguration of puja pandals.

The origin of Durga Puja goes back to as early as 16th century A.D. The festival is celebrated for ten days in Ashwin month of Hindu calendar. It usually falls in the month of September and October. Durga Puja celebration involves worshiping of Goddess Durga, the ten armed Goddess riding the lion. 

Over the years, the celebration has taken the form of mass festivity called as Barowari Puja when twelve friends of Guptipara in Bengal came together to organize a collective Puja called as ‘twelve-pal’ or Barowari Puja in 1790. This collective form of celebrating Durga Puja was first initiated in Kolkata by Raja Harinath of Cossimbazar in 1832. Gradually by 1910, this collective form of celebrating Durga Puja evolved into community celebration known as Sarbajanin Durga Puja.

On this special occasion, we paid a visit to several special places where different themes were applied on pandals to celebrate the festival. One such special place is Khagra, Swargadham of Berhampore.

Swarga Dham, Khagra is located at: Dewanganj Road, Baharampur, Berhampore 742103, West Bengal. This time they have come up with a special theme: the idol of Maa Durga is presented with a body of an army man on Maa’s lap.

Durga Puja, as per Hindu scriptures, is marked by the victory of goddess Durga in her battle against thee shape-shifting asura, or demon — Mahishasura. In slaying the demon, the goddess ushers in the epitomization of the victory of good over evil.

Against such a backdrop, replacing the demon Mahishasura with that of an army man’s body is an unconventional and some might say, uniquely contemporary twist on the mythos. 

To check out our visits: Click here