Barowari

Barowari refers to the public organisation of a religious or other festival, mainly in West Bengal. This is extensively used for Durga Puja. In more recent times, the nomenclature ‘barowari’ is being replaced by ‘sarbajanin’ (meaning all inclusive). The barowari festival is the opposite of household festival organised privately, but often allowing the particpation of outsiders. The barowari festival is organised with funds raised from the public at large through donations or subscriptions.

Etymology

The first publicly organised Durga Puja was held at Guptipara, when some men were stopped from taking part in a household Durga Puja. Twelve of them formed a committee and organised a barowari ( in Bengali "baro" means twelve and "yar" means friend) puja (worshipping). There is a difference of opinion about the year of worship – 1761 or 1790. [ [http://www.calcuttaweb.com/puja/index.shtml Calcutta Web] ] [ [http://festivals.iloveindia.com/durga-puja/history-durga-puja.html Festivals – Durga Puja] ]

Household pujas

There were numerous household pujas, particularly Durga Puja, in various parts of Bengal. Generally such pujas allowed others to participate in the worshipping but the organisation and other matters were obviously with the family taking the initiative and spending money for it.

The Sabarna Roy Choudhury family has been celebrating Durga Puja since 1610 in their ancestral home at Barisha. It is possibly the oldest organised festival in the Kolkata region. Today altogether seven Durga Pujas are being held in the family. Out of these, six are at Barisha while the seventh is at Birati. The Pujas which are held at Barisha are that of - Aatchala, Baro Bari, Mejo Bari, Benaki Bari, Kalikingkar Bhawan and Majher Bari. Other than the Durga Puja, the family organizes Chandi Puja, Jagadhatri Puja, Dol Yatra and Rath Yatra utsav. ["Bangiya Sabarna Katha Kalishetra Kalikatah" by Bhabani Roy Choudhury, Bn icon, Manna Publication. ISBN-81-87648-36-8] [ [http://www.devarshi.faithweb.com Sabarna Prithivi - website of the Sabarna Roy Choudhury family] ]

Nabakrishna Deb started the Durga Puja in Shobhabazar Rajbari in 1757. He set a pattern for the puja which became a fashion and a status symbol among the upcoming merchant class of Kolkata. The number of Englishmen attending the family Durga Puja became an index of prestige. Religious scruples fell by the wayside. The nautch girls were mostly from Muslim "gharanas". The Englishmen attending the dance-parties, dined on beef and ham from Wilson’s Hotel, and drank to their heart’s contentment. [ Jaya Chaliha and Bunny Gupta, "Durga Puja in Calcutta" in "Calcutta The Living City" Vol II, edited by Sukanta Chaudhuri, Oxford University Press, first published 1990, paperback edition 2005, pp 332-333. ISBN 0-19-563697-X ]

Rani Rashmoni used to celebrate Durga Puja at her residence with traditional pomp, including all-night "jatras" (folk theatre), rather than by entertaining the Englishmen with whom she carried on a running feud. After her death in 1861, the sons-in-law took to celebrating Durga Puja in their respective premises. [Chaliha, Jaya and Gupta, Bunny, "Durga Puja in Calcutta", in "Calcutta, the Living City", Vol. II, edited by Sukanta Chaudhuri, first published 1990, 2005 edition, pp. 334-335, Oxford University Press, ISBN 019 563697 X.]

There are number of other household Durga Pujas in Kolkata.

Barowari Durga Pujas

The twentieth century witnessed the emergence of the publicly organised or community Durga Puja. The first barowari Durga Puja was organised in Kolkata by Bhowanipore Sanatan Dharmotsahini Sabha in 1910 at Balaram Basu Ghat Road, Bhowanipore. Other barowari Durga Pujas that followed it closely were Shyampukur in 1911, Sikdarbagan (in the Shyambazar neighbourhood) in 1913, Nebubagan, which later became Baghbazar sarbojanin, in 1919, and Simla Byam Samiti in 1926. ["Kolkatar karcha – Sekaler Durga Puja", "Ananda Bazar Patrika", Bn icon, 15 October 2007]

Barowari Durga Pujas are celebrated in over 2,000 pandals in Kolkata. [cite web | url = http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=30&id=185669&usrsess=1
title = Think Again:Crime and No Punishment| accessdate = 2008-01-13 | last =Gandhi | first =Maneka | work =8th Day | publisher ="The Statesman", 13 January 2008]

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