The ancient civilizations of the world were developed around rivers. The Harappan civilization in the Indus Valley, the Egyptian civilization on the banks of the Nile, the Mesopotamian and Babylonian civilizations on the banks of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, and the Chinese civilization on the banks of the Yangtze and Huang He rivers developed about seven thousand years ago.
Favorable climate, drinking water facilities, the usefulness of the river silt soil for crop production, fishing, communication, transportation, and trade – these are the reasons why river-based civilizations developed.
Villages began to develop along the banks of the rivers and agriculture, family, society, religion, customs, industry, and economy developed around the villages.
Rivers are therefore inseparable from human life. Similarly, the Ganges River has woven this vast and diverse nation and culture into one thread in the civilization of India. The Ganges of India is a spiritual river. This river is blessed with so many pilgrimages, so many people, and the devotion of saints and great souls.
Countless Hindus in India believe that bathing in the Ganges can wash away sins and achieve liberation. Such an example is rare in almost any country in the world. Hindus imagine and worship the Ganges as a goddess. In fact, the river is worshipped in India for the various benefits it has provided to human life. Therefore, it is a goddess, i.e., a mother.
This civilization is blessed with the gift of that mother. In fact, the power of nature has been revealed in the minds of India in this way. The Ganges begins in the Himalayas and ends in the Ganges Ocean. This 2,500-kilometer journey passes through five states – Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and finally West Bengal. Kolkata, the capital of West Bengal, is located on the banks of the Ganges River. In Kolkata, the Ganges River is mainly known as the Hooghly River.
This tributary of the Ganges was also known as the Bhagirathi, but in the Kolkata region and below it, it is mainly known as the Hooghly River. In the late 17th century, the city of Kolkata was formed with three villages – Sutanuti, Dihi Kalikata and Gobindapur. This Dihi Kalikata was once a “janapad”( the place where people establish their abode) in Bengal. Job Charnock landed in the village of Sutanuti on the banks of the Hooghly River on August 24, 1690, where he established a trading post for the British East India Company.
The foundation stone of the modern city of Kolkata was laid at this place. However, the most important event in the history of Bengal and Kolkata is the Battle of Plassey. The fall of Siraj-ud-Daulah in this war, the British rule in Bengal was firmly established and the dignity and prestige of Kolkata began to increase.
This juncture began a new chapter in the history of Durga Puja in Kolkata. Which was completely urban-oriented. On the one hand, the fall of the Nawab and on the other hand, a rich landlord class emerged. And it was at the hands of these rich people that the expensive Durga Puja started in Kolkata. And the main person of this Durga Puja in Kolkata was the Raja of Shobhabazar, Nabakrishna Deb Bahadur.
He was the personal secretary of Robert Clive. Nabakrishna was then the “Talukdar”( Landowner or landlord) of North Kolkata. The new talukdars created by the British in Kolkata were changing the form of Durga Puja from the second phase of the eighteenth century. This Kolkata was the new capital.
However, the evidence of the first Durga Puja in this city shows that the family of Sabarna Roy Chowdhury of Barisha organized the first Durga Puja in their “Atchala”( refers to architecture consisting of eight roofs, which is essentially a type of temple architecture) in 1610. However, the history of Durga Puja in Bengal is even older. But the foundation of Durga Puja of Bengal was broken long before the change of era.
In fact, during the British period, Bengali culture and education had started moving towards Kolkata from Gaur, Rajmahal, Murshidabad, Nabadwip, and Krishnanagar.
