Goddess Lakshmir’s owl makes way for four elephants at a puja in Cooch Behar, where traditions inherited from the erstwhile royal family give the familiar festival a distinctive character.
At the Kathamiya shrine in the Madan Mohan temple complex in Cooch Behar town, the goddess of wealth is the four-armed, crimson-hued Mahalakshmi.
She is accompanied by four elephants with raised trunks and Lord Indra, the king of the gods, riding an elephant.
This year, the puja will be held on Sunday, on Kojagari Lakshmi Poornima, following customs established during the reign of the Cooch Behar Maharajas.
The Cooch Behar idol offers a strikingly different image from the traditional two-armed Lakshmi seated on a lotus with an owl.
Shivkumar Chakraborty, a priest at the Madan Mohan temple, said the worship follows the royal family’s prescribed customs, which include the sacrifice of a pair of pigeons, a bhog and a yajna.
“Here, the goddess is revered as Mahalakshmi. This is the tradition of the Cooch Behar royal family,” Chakraborty said.
“The rituals include the sacrifice of a pair of pigeons, followed by the offering of bhog (consecrated food) and a yajna. Lord Indra is also worshipped here alongside Mahalakshmi,” the priest said.
Chakraborty said the idol was as much a part of the heritage as the ceremonies surrounding it.
“She is surrounded by four elephants, their trunks raised high, a detail that lends the idol a unique and striking appearance,” he said.
A source also described the goddess as seated on a chariot drawn by the four elephants. “On the same day, Lord Indra, the King of the Devas, is also worshipped and he, too, is depicted mounted upon an elephant,” the source said.
Generations of artisan Prabhat Chitrakar’s family have been making the Mahalakshmi idol for the royal family.
Having inherited the responsibility, Prabhat continues the craft that is an artistic and family legacy.
Ritual sacrifice remains part of several religious traditions associated with the Cooch Behar royal family. At the Baradevi Temple, for instance, buffalo sacrifice continues during Durga Puja.
A staff member at the Madan Mohan temple said the Mahalakshmi worship stayed faithful to the royal family’s traditions.
“The annual puja follows long-standing rules and customs. Every aspect, from the crafting of the idol to the rituals, is designed to preserve this heritage,” he said.