UTTARPARA RAMGHAT SARBOJANIN DURGOTSHAB
Ramghat Sarbojanin Durgotshab is in 97th years this year since its inception.
The history of the last 97 years of the heritage Durga Puja is indeed the part and parcel of the history of development of Uttarpara. The once unknown fallow water-land, sparsely inhabited, decoit infested into a modern developed place of great history and heritage and a great satellite town of the metro polish of the East, Kolkata .
In the year around 1700 AD Ratneswar Roy Chowdhury, a scion of the 26th generation of Bengal’s first Jamindar, Sabarna Roy Chowdhury family bought up this place, which was the northern portion of Ballygram, another ancient place in Bengal. At that time this place Uttarpara was in the Jamindari of the “Sheoraphuli Raj”. After buying up this place Uttarpara, Ratneswar engaged in building up the place for proper habitation. He then shifted with his entire family to live here.
He brought in his entire entourage of Brahmins, Tailors, Barbers and other service providers. He offered them land for residence. Thus started a great buildup of 19th Century Bengal which culminated into today’s modern, pulsating city “UTTARPARA”.
Babu Joykrishna Mukherjee (1808-1888) founded the Uttarpara Jamindari and under his donations and guidance Uttarpara had many social, political and economic developments, Babu Joykrishna first held “Durga Puja” in his Uttarpara residence. After some years his eminent son Pyari Mohan Mukherjee was offered the title “RAJA” by then British Government and separate palatial building was built for his son which are now called “Rajbari”. Later on, the Durga Puja was shifted to Rajbari. Upto the years perhaps 1917-18 DurgaPuja celebrations were mainly confined to the house of Jamindars and other rich people of the locality.
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| Saraswat Sammilan Library |
It was entirely a family affair. Thereafter; in 1917 Uttarpara Saraswat Sammilan Library was the first to introduce the Sarbojanin Durgotshab with full and free participation of the local citizen. Thereafter, this Sarbojanin Durgapuja spread to different Mahalla, Para and even outskirts. At present it is estimated that about 220 such Pujas are held yearly. Under all consideration therefore, Ramghat Sarbojanin Durgotshab was indeed the age-changing historic landmark.
Attaining a century of this puja celebration would indeed be a historical landmark in this place. On this occasion, the Puja organizers are sending their best wishes to the people of the locality who were the real patron and assisted this Puja to reach this glorious occasion.