Guwahati is a very old city and so is the history of Durga Puja Celebrations in the city. Few of the oldest Durga Puja Celebrations have aged way over hundred years.
The traditions of worshiping Shakti or the Mother Goddess was started by the rulers of the Ahom Dynasty. And they built a major part of the temples across the state including the Kamakhya Temple and Ugratara Devalaya of Guwahati.
The following are some of the oldest Durga Puja of the city of Guwahati.
- Uzan Bazar Barowari Durga Mandir : Located on the corner of the busy Uzan Bazar, people generally overlook this small temple until it hosts a social event or the annual Durga Puja. The puja committee inaugurated the mandap in 1889.
- Ugratara Devalaya : Another of the oldest Durga Puja is located in the same located of Uzan Bazar. The usually empty and always serene temple on the banks of the Jor Pukhuri wakes up to a week of non-stop festivities during the puja days. Also it is one of the places where you get to see Ojapali, a traditional musical oration style of storytelling. This temple also features in the list of locations in the Guwahati Heritage Walk.
- Pachim Guwahati Durga Mandir : The West Guwahati Durga Puja Committee itself started in the year 1901 putting it on this list of pujas. Simple, elegant and sans extra spending on decorations is something that this puja has to show.
- Hari Sabha : This one is located inside the busy market area of Pan Bazar. On any usual day, it looks nothing special other than an old temple. But during these days of celebration, this place opens up for a simple celebration which lasted for more than a hundred years.
- Kamakhya Temple : It is one of the 51 Sakti Peeths or Shakti Temples from across the globe. It is also one of the oldest pujas of the city. But the celebrations here are different from the others. Kumari Puja carried out, where small girls are worshiped in the images of the different incarnations of the Mother Goddess.
These were some of the oldest Durga Puja celebrations of the city of Guwahati. If we have missed any, do mail it to us at discovereastin@gmail.com.
