Women Can't Participate In Nadazol Rajbari's Durga Puja

BY A STAFF REPORTER: Women are 'bratya' means unwanted in the worship of female power devi durga. For more than 600 years, the Durga Puja of Nadzol Rajbari has been going on like this in Daspur. This year 2022, Rajbari Puja will enter 609 years. But women are bratya in durga puja. This has been going on for more than 600 years. This is the custom of this palace. And even today, the women of the royal family are following this tradition. According to rajbari sources, Udayanarayan Ghosh was the Naib of Burdwan Raja. He came to Medinipur district to hunt with the king's permission. On his way back from hunting in the Nadzol forest of Daspur, he suddenly saw a buck chasing a hawk. Naib Mashai was shocked to see this scene. On returning home that night, he dreams that there is an eight-metal idol of Maa Durga in that forest. On the instructions of the mother, the deity was rescued from the forest. He cleared the forest of Nadzol area and built a house. It is in this house that Ashtadhatu's Durga idol started worshiping in 1820 Bengal. Later, Uday Narayan Ghosh founded the Nadzol Raj house. He introduced all the rules and regulations of Durga Puja. Today, Nadzol Rajbari is on the way to destruction. But according to the custom, even today, the Durga idol of eight metal is worshiped in the palace. In the royal palace, devi Durga is worshiped according to Vaishnav, so there is no custom. Even today the women of the royal house cannot give flower garlands. Can't take prasad and belpata.

​

 The mother alone is worshiped in the Ashtadhatu idol of the Rajbari. Karthik, Ganesh, Lakshmi and Saraswati do not live here with their mother. Since the Durga of Ashtadhatu is here, there is no ablution, or Niranjan is offered only by dipping the pot. Durga Puja has not been organized for two years due to Corona, but this year Durga Puja will be celebrated in Sambar according to the customs and the preparations for it have also started, said the members of the Rajbari. This year Durga Puja has an opportunity for tourists to watch the Puja from the Rajbari. For that, a home-stay system with 5 rooms will be launched inside the palace. The current members of the Rajbari said that tourists can spend the night at the Rajbari during the puja and watch the puja along with the royal food and explore the history of the Rajbari. Apart from Daspur, many people from far and wide flocked to the Durga Puja of Najol Rajbari. The history of Medinipur's freedom struggle is intertwined in the Najol Rajbari. That history is in the way of destruction today. Now after getting the heritage recognition, the renovation work has started. The Rajbari renovation work is stopped in the middle. The members of the Rajbari appeal to preserve the ancient history by renovating the Rajbari.