Archive · 10 Oct 2026
A Heritage Walk Reveals Kumartuli Beyond Durga Idol Workshops
Kumartuli in Kolkata is famous for artists who make Durga idols.
A heritage walk there shows that the neighbourhood has many other stories too.
Some artisans make the crowns and decorations worn by the idols.
An old shop keeps antique radios and memories of how people once listened to music and news.
The neighbourhood also has a temple and a historic family home with a special Durga Puja tradition.
At Kumartuli Ghat, river clay has been brought to potters for generations.
The ghat has also been redeveloped as a public riverside space.
Together, these places show how art, worship and history are part of everyday life in Kumartuli.
Kumartuli’s heritage walk highlights its idol-makers and the specialist artisans who create ornaments, crowns and accessories for deities.
An antique radio shop at 40 Banamali Sarkar Street preserves analogue radios; Amit Ranjan Karmakar took over its operations in 1976.
Dhakeshwari Mata Mandir is a landmark associated with Devi Dhakeshwari in Kumartuli’s winding lanes.
Kabiraj Bari houses an ancestral Durga Puja dating to 1840, with distinctive placement of Ganesha and Kartik and worship following Shaivism principles.
Kumartuli Ghat, built in the eighteenth century, historically supplied river clay to potters and has undergone a ₹10-crore redevelopment.
- Who
- Kumartuli’s potters, specialist artisans and heritage sites; the walk was accompanied by Manoshi Roychowdhury.
- What
- A heritage walk explored Kumartuli’s crafts, antique radio shop, temple, historic home and riverside ghat.
- When
- The article gives no date for the walk; it says Kabiraj Bari’s Puja dates to 1840 and moved to its present location in 1857.
- Where
- Kumartuli, North Kolkata, including Banamali Sarkar Street, Kumartuli Street and Kumartuli Ghat.
- Why
- To explore heritage and cultural stories beyond Kumartuli’s well-known idol-making workshops.
Distinctive traditions
Conventional arrangement
Kabiraj Bari’s Durga Puja iconography
Distinctive traditions
At Kabiraj Bari, Ganesha is placed to Durga’s left and Kartik to her right; worship follows Shaivism principles.
Conventional arrangement
The article contrasts this arrangement with the conventional placement of the divine family, but does not describe that arrangement in further detail.
- Antique radio shop
- At 40 Banamali Sarkar Street; founded in 1967 by Amit Ranjan Karmakar’s father.
- Shop operator
- Amit Ranjan Karmakar took over operations in 1976.
- Kabiraj Bari
- At 17 Kumartuli Street, Sovabazar; also known as the House of Kaviraj Gangaprasad Sen or Boro Bari.
- Ancestral Durga Puja
- Dates to 1840 and moved to its present location in Kumartuli in 1857.
- Kumartuli Ghat
- Historically built in the eighteenth century by Raja Nabakrishna Deb.
- Ghat redevelopment
- A ₹10-crore project added or improved features including concrete steps, a viewing porch, public amenities and murals.