Kumartuli | |
|---|---|
Neighbourhood in Kolkata (Calcutta) | |
 Idol of Maa Durga at Kumortuli | |
  Kumartuli Location in Kolkata | |
| Coordinates:22°36′00″N88°21′41″E / 22.6000°N 88.3614°E /22.6000; 88.3614 | |
| Country |  India |
| State | West Bengal |
| City | Kolkata |
| District | Kolkata |
| Metro Station | Sovabazar Sutanuti |
| Municipal Corporation | Kolkata Municipal Corporation |
| KMC ward | 9 |
| Elevation | 36 ft (11 m) |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
| PIN | 700005 |
| Area code | +91 33 |
| Lok Sabha constituency | Kolkata Uttar |
| Vidhan Sabha constituency | Shyampukur |
Kumortuli (also speltKumartuli) is a traditionalpotters' quarter inNorth Kolkata inWest Bengal,India. The city is renowned for its sculpting prowess. It not only manufactures clay idols for various festivals but also regularly exports them.
The British colonisation of Bengal and India started following the victory of theBritish East India Company in theBattle of Plassey in 1757. The company decided to build new settlementFort William at the site of theGobindapur village. Most of the existing population shifted toSutanuti. While such neighbourhoods asJorasanko andPathuriaghata became the centres of the local rich; there were other areas that were developed simultaneously.[1] The villages of Gobindapur, Sutanuti andKalikata developed to give rise to the latter day metropolis of Calcutta.
Holwell, under orders from the directors of theBritish East India Company, allotted "separate districts to the Company’s workmen". These neighbourhoods in the heart of the Indian quarters acquired the work-related names – Suriparah (the place of wine sellers), Collotollah (the place of oil men), Chuttarparah (the place of carpenters), Aheeritollah (cowherd's quarters), Coomartolly (potters' quarters) and so on.[2]
Most of the artisans living in theNorth Kolkata neighbourhoods dwindled in numbers or even vanished, as they were pushed out of the area in the late nineteenth century by the invasion fromBurrabazar.[3] In addition,Marwari businessmen virtually flushed out others from manyNorth Kolkata localities. The potters of Kumortuli, who fashioned the clay from the river beside their home into pots to be sold at Sutanuti Bazar (later Burrabazar), managed to survive in the area. Gradually they took to making the images of gods and goddesses, worshipped in large numbers in the mansions all around and later at community pujas in the city and beyond.[4]
In 1888, one of the 25 newly organized police section houses was located in Kumartuli.[5]
Kumortuli is located in Ward No. 8 ofKolkata Municipal Corporation, mostly between Rabindra Sarani (formerly Chitpur Road) and theHooghly River. It is between Beniatola (Ahiritola) andShobhabazar.[6] In maps showingthanas or police stations in old Kolkata, Kumortuli is shown as being betweenShyampukur, Bartala,Jorasanko,Jorabagan andHooghly River.[7]
Dhakeswari Mata Temple is aHindu temple located in Kumortuli, nearSovabazar,Kolkata. It is situated on the eastern bank of theHooghly River near Kumartolly. The presiding deity of the temple isDevi Durga, which was taken to Kolkata in 1947 fromDhakeswari Temple in Dhaka, Bangladesh.[8][9]
The idol is 1.5 feet tall and has ten arms, which are mounted on a mythical lion in the form of Katyani Mahishasurmardini Durga. On her two sides areLaxmi,Saraswati,Kartik andGanesh.[8] The origins of themain temple remain mysterious, hence many rumors preside. One rumor suggests that the wife of KingBijoy Sen once went to the village of Langolbond to bathe. On her way back she gave birth to a son,Ballal Sen.[10] Later this prince became king of theSena dynasty. After ascending to the throne, Ballal Sen built a temple to glorify his birthplace, which is known asDhakeswari temple,Bangladesh.[11]
Ballal Sen proceeded to have vivid dreams, one of which involved the deityDurga. He dreamt that Durga was hidden within the jungle; he proceeded to discover the said deity which was concealed there. In order to celebrate this discovery, he built a temple later namedDhakeswari. This explains the etymological meaning of "Dhakeswari", which means "covered or hidden deity". According toBengali Hindus Dhakeswari is considered to be the presiding deity ofDhaka, which is an incarnation or form of Goddess Durga, theAdi Shakti. The idol of Durga is called Dhakeswari.[12]
In 1947, during thePartition of India, caretakers of the temple evacuated the idol from Dhaka to Calcutta, and it has remained there since.[8][13][14]
After this, a Tiwari family from Azamgarh was appointed by the royal family to undertake daily worship of the deity. In 1946, the descendants of that family, Prallad Kishore Tiwari (or Rajendra Kishore Tiwari) transported the idol in a highly confidential aircraft to Kolkata and was re-appointed, where they still serve the goddess continuously. After taken to Kolkata, the idol spent the next two or three years being worshipped in the Debendranath Chowdhury home.[8]
In 1950 the businessman Debendranath Chowdhary built the temple of the goddess in the Kumortuli area and established some of the goddess' property for her daily services.[8]
The Dhakeshwari devi worship is different from the traditional Durga puja of Bengal. According to the current priest of the temple, Shaktiprasad Ghosal, during Durga Puja, the goddess is worshipped in accordance with the Navratri or nine night rituals of Northern India.[8]
Being close to the heart of Kolkata, Kumortuli was home to a number of renowned or famous people during theBengal Renaissance.
There is a road in Kumortuli named after Nandram Sen, a wealthy former resident. His wealth was accrued because of his status as the first tax collector of Kolkata, during the 1700s.[15]Gobindram Mitter, the tax collector after Nandram, lived in a large mansion on a sprawling 16-acre property during this time. His house is now known as one of the "Great Houses of Old Calcutta".[16]
Banamali Sarkar's famous house which is immortalized in Bengali rhyming proverb, was there till the 19th century. He has a winding lane named after him in Kumortuli.[17]
Rabindra Sarani passes through Kumortuli.[18]
Sovabazar Ahiritola railway station andBagbazar railway station onKolkata Circular Railway line are the nearest stations.Kolkata Station, which is one of the five major railway-terminals ofKolkata Metropolitan Area, is also located nearby.
Nearest metro station isSovabazar Sutanuti metro station and through metro, it can be easily accessed the areas ofDakshineswar andNew Garia (Kavi Subhash metro station).
