Tahirpur: The fabled birthplace of Durga Puja in Bengal

Durga Puja, the commemoration marking the Goddess Durga coming home to her faithful children, is one of the most celebrated festivals for Bangalee Hindus. But few seem to know that the iconic celebration originated, according to folktales, in Bangladesh's Rajshahi district.      

Although a Hindu religious festival, the 10-day long celebration in Bengal (Bangladesh and West Bengal) seems to transcend religious boundaries and is seen as a cultural icon of the region. 

The Durga Puja rituals actually appear in the Sanskrit epic Ramayana. It is said that Ram requested the help of Goddess Durga to win over Ravana.   

However, it still does not clarify from which time period this puja became a household celebration, and indeed arguably the biggest one, in Bengal.

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The answer probably lies in some of the many folk tales surrounding it and according to one of them, King Kangsha Narayana of Tahirpur originally started Durga Puja rituals in Bengal from the Ramrama village in Tahirpur. Situated near River Baranoi, the Tahirpur town is in Bagmara Upazila of Bangladesh's north-western district Rajshahi.

In 1480 AD, Kangsha Narayana wanted to have a grand ritual, so he invited all the religious scholars in his area and asked suggestions for what kind of ritual could be done. 

One of the scholars said that as Kangsha Narayana was a king under the rule of Emperor Akbar and was not an independent ruler, he could not arrange all kinds of religious rituals (it went against religious practices at that time). However, they said he could arrange an autumn Durga Puja, citing the example from Ramayana.  

It is rumoured that Kangsha Narayana spent around nine lakh in the currency prevalent at the time to start the grand journey of Durga Puja festivals, which thus began from Tahirpur. 

542 years ago, this amount was no less than a fortune. 

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Folktales aside, there is no record of Bangalees celebrating Durga Puja before 1480, so some believe the real journey of the colourful festival did indeed begin at the Ramarama village in Tahirpur. 

At present, there is only one temple's ruin and an ancient pond that remains from King Kangsha Narayana's time. His family later moved to another part of Tahirpur and the palace is now being used as a public college building.  

Just by the boundary wall of the temple ruins, there is a family temple, which was used by the descendants of the king even a few decades ago. There are beautiful metal idols of Goddess Durga and her family here.   

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As someone born and raised in Rajshahi, I have been visiting these places since I was young. Some of my childhood friends also lived here. Every time I come to this temple and re-read its history engraved on stone, it always surprises me that people do not know much about Tahirpur. Otherwise, this place would have been full of pilgrims and tourists all year round.   

There are a few debates about when Durga Puja first started and became popular in Bengal. Nadia or Mushidabad are often cited as the other possible origin places. Some say the Zamindars of Dinajpur and Malda started it while some historians believe the first Durga Puja was organised by King Nabakrishna Dev in 1757. 

However, as far as my knowledge goes, there is no evidence that this ritual started anywhere before 1480 AD and Tahirpur could very well be the place where it actually began. 

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With appropriate plans by authorities, this historical place can be easily turned into a beautiful tourist location for everyone.  

Where to stay

There are no hotels in Tahirpur. There are hotels in Rajshahi city such as Chez Razzak suites, Grand Riverview Hotel and of course, the Parjatan Motel. Per night room rates vary between Tk3,000 and Tk7,000. 

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How to go

It is an hour drive (55 kilometres) from Rajshahi city and 20 kilometres from the Puthia Temples to Tahirpur. You can rent a car or take local transport.