3 centuries of ‘Lal Durga’ worship in Moulvibazar’s Panchgaon

Panchgaon is a remote village in Moulvibazar’s Rajnagar Upazila. With the sound of drums, gongs and bells, the fragrance of incense, and a brightly lit mandap (pandal) - the joyous excitement of the Durga Puja festival is ongoing as usual.

However, the puja in Panchgaon is different from others. Here, goddess Durga arrives as “Red Durga”. Worship of the “Red Durga” has been going on here for 300 years.

Upon visiting the spot on Sunday evening, the Panchgaon Durga mandap was seen sparkling light. Temporary shops were set up along the road from the Rajnagar-Balaganj road towards the temple.

Different types of snacks from tilua, batasa, khaja, jilapi, fuchka to toys, cosmetics, and puja materials were available there.

Although the crowd was comparatively smaller on the day of Shashthi, the village becomes lively with the arrival of thousands of devotees on Saptami, Ashtami, and Nabami - locals say.

The director of the Panchgaon Durga Puja, Sanjay Das, says he is the sixth generation of puja organisers. This red-colored idol’s puja has been taking place in their family for approximately 300 years. The puja was not held only during the Liberation War.

Although it is primarily a family puja, thousands of people arrive here every year due to the belief in the goddess’s awakened presence, he added.

Local sources say that the puja was initiated by a devotee named Sarbananda Das. While working in Sivasagar, Assam, he had a miraculous experience when he went to worship at Kamakhya. During the worship, the body of a five-year-old girl turned red. Sarbananda Das then understood that the goddess herself had descended. When the goddess offered him a boon, he prayed that the goddess would reside at his birthplace, Panchgaon every year. The goddess instructed that the idol here would be red in color. Since then, the worship of the Red Durga has been going on.

The organisers have stated that the color of goddess Durga is red only in Panchgaon’s Durga Bari in the country. However, there are red-colored idols in Assam and Kamakhya in India.

In Panchgaon, this red goddess has been showered with love from devotees for over 300 years. During this time of the puja, thousands of devotees of the Hindu community flock here with their various offerings.

Many offer goats, buffaloes, ducks, and pigeons as sacrifices in the name of the goddess on Saptami and Nabami of the puja here.

Many people from different parts of the country come with their families to visit the goddess here believing that the goddess here is awakened. For many, visiting the goddess in Panchgaon during the Durga Puja is almost a routine.

People from other communities also rush to this festival ground, roam around, and shop at the fair. Panchgaon does not seem to sleep for four or five days during the Durga Puja. The only tune that plays in the village air is - ‘‘Durga Elo, Durga Elo’’ (Durga has come, Durga has come).

Sanjay Das told Prothom Alo that there is 100 per cent security and administrative cooperation for celebrating the puja here. “There is no problem.”