Archive · 9 Oct 2026
Why Canning’s Bhattacharya Family Worships Black-Faced Durga
The Bhattacharya family has worshipped Durga for 444 years, according to the family.
Long ago, a crow flew off with a lamp wick, and the wick set fire to the roof of the Durga temple.
The family believes the goddess then asked to be shown with a brown body and a black, burned-looking face.
They call this form Kalo Durga.
The family moved its puja from Dhaka to Canning after Partition in 1947.
It still follows its traditional rituals.
The wooden frame for the idol is used again each year after being kept underwater for three days.
The Bhattacharya family says its Durga Puja began 444 years ago in Balikhala village, in Bikrampur, Dhaka.
Family lore says a crow carrying a lamp wick caused a fire that burned the Durga temple’s leaf roof.
After the fire, ancestor Ramakant Bhattacharya was said to receive a message to worship Durga with a brown body and black face.
The family moved the puja to Canning after Partition, holding its final Dhaka celebration in 1947.
The family reuses its wooden idol framework, immersing it for three days before retrieving it for the next year.
- Who
- The Bhattacharya family, including family member Piyush Bhattacharya.
- What
- The family worships Durga as Kalo Durga, with a brown body and a charred-black face.
- When
- The family says the puja began 444 years ago; it moved to Canning after its final Dhaka puja in 1947.
- Where
- The puja is held at the family residence in Dighirpar, Canning.
- Why
- According to family lore, a temple fire led an ancestor to receive a message that Durga wanted to be worshipped in a different form.
- Puja age
- The family says the Durga Puja is 444 years old.
- Traditional idol appearance
- A brown body with a burnt or black face.
- Legend behind the appearance
- A crow reportedly carried a lamp wick to the temple roof, which caught fire.
- Move to Canning
- The family held its last Dhaka puja in 1947 and then moved the puja to Canning.
- Idol framework
- The family says its main wooden framework has been used for 444 years, with repairs when needed.
- Annual reuse
- After immersion, the framework remains in a pond for three days before it is retrieved.
- Other family puja
- The family’s Manasa Puja shifted to Cooch Behar.