User talk:Truthmatters9

Binod Behari Pal was a cashier of the Maharaja of Burdwan. He had received 102 bighas from the zamindar in this area and settled on the bank of the Kana Damodar that flowed through this part at that time. The river has long since moved away but the settlement has remained here. Binod Behari had established the zamindari here and it was named Jot Binod. The smooth asphalt road that runs from Bargachhia through Jagatballavpur to Amta and Hooghly district, runs through a heritage site that is many centuries old. The palatial Pal family residence that covered 10 bighas was cut into half by this road in the 1960s. While passing by, one is likely to notice the dilapidated terracotta temple on the left. A curious traveller is bound to stop by and take a look. For locals, this is an old Shiva temple that has withstood the test of time for many generations. But for those who know, this temple could just be the tip of another history hidden in the villages of Bengal. A closer look reveals stories of war engraved in the red tiles on the front walls of the temple. Some of them are ruined and the figures can hardly be distinguished. The structure lies in neglect, and a banyan tree has made its home on top of it. A kasthi pathar (touchstone) Shivalinga stands inside the dark sanctum sanctorum. Right opposite the temple is the remnant of a palace entrance, also covered in heavy foliage. A pillar with a lion sitting on top stands out on one side of the gate. The temple was built in 1170 of the Bengali calendar, by Bishnu Ram Pal, in the courtyard of the family mansion. In that very year Bishnu Ram Pal made houses in interioir villages like Bamunpara, Bankul, Dhasa, Fingagachi, Dwipa, Maju and Gowalpota. Migrants from Nepal and Bihar came and started residing in these area. Most prominent was Maju village where the horse stable was amde. Gowalas and Mondols mostly immigrants were given jobs to man these buildings.Tuesday bazaar was set up in most of these villages and few of them are still functional. The erstwhile palace of the Pals is now a ruin, with parts of the boundary wall in tact running along with the old chandimandap. Inside this boundary is another ancient Singhabahini temple that dates back to nearly 800 years. As the family lore goes, Binod Behari Pal was taking a dip in the river one morning when the touchstone idol of Singhabahini floated near him. Binod Behari took the idol back home where it was worshipped regularly. Later, a temple was established for the deity inside the mansion by Buddhimanta Pal. It is believed that the Pal familys prosperity increased after the Singhabahini deity had come to the house. In fact, Durga puja had started in this house after Singhabahinis worship and it has never stopped since then.

It is believed that Durga puja started around the same time at the Pal residence in Jagatballavpur. Buddhimanta also constructed the chandimandap within the mansion, the only part of the house that still stands. Regular puja is still held at the Singhabahini temple, where now only a ghot stands, after the kashthipathar idol was stolen. Durga is not the demon-killer at this puja. Instead, the deity is seated along with Shiva, as Shiva-Parvati.

The rituals are traditional, followed the way they had been introduced at the time of Buddhimanta Pal. Although this is one of the oldest Durga pujas in Howrah district, it lacks the festivities that are generally associated with old and aristocratic pujas. Some rituals, like kumari puja, have also been done away with. One of the prime reasons is that none of the family members live in Jagatballavpur any more. “Ever since a large part of the original house was demolished to construct the metal road that runs from Bargachhia to Amta, the family members have been forced to relocate elsewhere. And they have no place to stay at Jagatballavpur for the five days of the Puja. The rooms surrounding the chandimandap were where we stayed at one time, but now we go in the morning and return in the evening,” said Dr Amit Pal, ophthalmologist and the 17th descendant of Buddhimanta Pal.

Local residents and sevaits at the Singhabahini temple willingly organize the puja at the Pal residence. The Singhabahini Trust runs all the expenses of the temple as well as the Durga puja. “There are three branches of the Pal family, Boro, Mejo and Choto tarafs. Of the three, members of the Boro and Choto branches of the family are most involved with the puja and contribute a lump sum towards the trust. We share responsibilities and visit the puja on all five days,” said Pal.

Among the many rituals of the puja, bali is an important one and nine goats are sacrificed through Ashtami, Sandhi puja and Navami. The person, who beheads the goat, carries the head of the sacrificed goat across the natmandir and throws it at the feet of the goddess. The meat of the sacrificed goats is cooked and distributed as bhog among local people and family members. The deity is offered khichri and pulao too and this is distributed among members of the family and local people who come to the puja.