COVID-19: Muted Durga Puja in Bengali-dominated Odisha village after 500 years

JAGATSINGHPUR: With Covid-19 pandemic putting brakes on the festivities this puja season, the Bengali community-dominated Punanga village in Jagatsinghpur wears an unusually deserted look.

It is for the first time in 500 years that the village - located just three km from the district headquarters- will not witness an influx of devotees or relatives of resident Bengali families for Durga Puja this year. Neither will it see the fervour of Bengali traditions which are at full play during this time in the village. 

Nearly 400 Bengali communities have settled in Punanga and adjoining Badabag for over five centuries. Every year around this time, devotees from across the country throng the shrine here to worship Goddess Durga.

Punanga buzzes with activities and traditional Bengali rituals so much so that it is believed that people come here instead of going to Kolkata to celebrate Durga Puja. This year, however, the celebrations are muted due to the Covid-19 outbreak.

ALSO READ | ‘Bhai Juintia’ fest to be low-key in Covid times

A Bengali resident Ranjit Bhattacharya sighed,"Coronavirus restrictions have killed the festive spirit. Durga puja every year was a grand affair with family members visiting us and joining the celebrations. But this year, we failed to unite due to the pandemic."

Another Bengali woman Sumitra Dey shared similar sentiments.

“Durga Puja for Bengalis is the most awaited time of the year. We wear new clothes, ornaments and get together to worship Maa Durga. But this year is a dampener,” she lamented.

It is believed that ancestors of the Ghosh families along with then ruler of Bardhaman had settled in Punanga sometime in 1500 AD and initiated the worship of Goddess Durga in a puja pandal as per Bengali customs. These families had erected a house for the purpose.

The house, locally known as “Ghosa Ghara”, is still the place of worship for the goddess.