In pictures: At Kolkata’s ghats, Saptami begins with Kola Bou Snan

Kolkata’s ghats witnessed the traditional Kola Bou Snan on Saturday morning as devotees gathered along the Hooghly to perform the Nabapatrika ritual on Durga Puja Saptami.

At Baje Kadamtala Ghat, Gwalior Ghat, and Jagannath Ghat, priests performed the ceremonial bath of the Nabapatrika, a young banana tree wrapped in a cluster of eight plants worshipped during Durga Puja. 

The banana plant, dressed in a sari and adorned with ritual offerings, is the most prominent part of the arrangement, earning it the popular name Kola Bou.

The ritual begins with the bathing of the plant bundle in the river. After the bath, devotees dress the Nabapatrika in a new sari and take it to the puja mandap, where they place it beside the idol of Lord Ganesha for worship.

The morning proceedings at the ghats offered a glimpse of the religious traditions that remain an integral part of Kolkata’s annual festival, as families and priests gathered by the river to observe the age-old custom.