Village Durga Puja that begins on Dashami night, four-armed avatar worshipped without weapons

Even as the rest of Bengal has bid farewell to Goddess Durga, residents of Khadimpur in Raiganj block of North Dinajpur are rejoicing in her presence.

The beats of “dhaak” are playing in Khadimpur. The entire village has been worshipping Durga in the form of Balai Chandi since Dashami night, when the Puja ended everywhere else.

Goddess Balai Chandi is visualised and sculpted as a four-armed deity without weapons. Here, the Mahishasura and the buffalo are missing.

In the village, which is under the Kamalabari panchayat of Raiganj block, adjacent to Kamalabari Hat in Hemtabad, the goddess is worshipped in a small temple with brick walls and a tin roof under an ancient tree on about four bighas of land.

The worship begins on the night of Vijaya Dashami, which this year fell on Wednesday.

The goddess is adorned with gold and silver jewellery.

The main worship of the goddess is done on the night of Dashami. However, the Puja will continue for a week. So will the fairs and cultural events.

Anil Barman, an official of the Puja committee, said: “Goddess Durga is worshipped here in the form of Maa Chandi. There are no buffaloes or demons here with the goddess. Also, instead of Durga’s 10 hands, there are four hands of Chandi. She is seen with her children Lakshmi, Saraswati, Kartik and Ganesh. People from far and wide flock here for a glimpse of this unique avatar of Goddess Durga.”

Madhab Barman, an elderly resident of the area, said the worship of Goddess Balai Chandi in Khadimpur village had been going on for centuries.

“People from North and South Dinajpur districts, as well as parts of Malda and Bihar flock into our village during the Puja. It is like an extended celebration of the Durga Puja,” he said.