Kolkata’s Bonedi Bari Durga Puja: The ancestral homes preserving centuries of tradition

Kolkata’s Bonedi Bari Durga Puja: The ancestral homes preserving centuries of tradition left Badan Chand Roy Bari, Coolotola SPECILA ARRANGEMENT https://th-i.thgim.com/public/news/national/karnataka/aka8qr/article71590993.ece/alternates/FREE_1200/KUN_8632.JPG Kolkata’s Bonedi Bari Durga pujas bring together grand colonial-era architecture, family legacies and heirloom recipes. While the city’s pandals draw the biggest crowds, these ancestral homes offer a more intimate glimpse of the festival, following family traditions dating back more than 300 years Every year, as Durga puja draws near, the old houses of North Kolkata stir to life. The air grows heavy with dhunuchi smoke, mingling with the earthy scent of damp stone and aged wood. The creak of the thakur dalan gates, the rhythmic crescendo of the dhaak, and the murmur of prayers drift through century-old courtyards. Doors open once again for families to reunite and for visitors to witness not just a puja, but a piece of Bengal’s past.