When Kolkata, the City of Joy along the banks of the Hooghly River, comes alive in autumn with the fragrance of Shiuli flowers, the swaying of Kash grass and the rhythmic beat of Dhak drums, Durga Puja transcends the boundaries of a mere religious ritual. On the global stage of art, Kolkata’s Durga Puja today stands as a unique socio-cultural movement.
Ever since UNESCO recognized Kolkata’s Durga Puja as an ‘Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity’ in 2021, the festival’s canvas has expanded even further. In this historical continuum, one of India’s oldest and grandest heritage institutions—the Indian Museum on Jawaharlal Nehru Road—has hosted a splendid exhibition and cultural festival in its historic Central Courtyard titled ‘Devi Durga: Śakti, Mātṛ, Karuṇā’ (Goddess Durga: Power, Motherhood, Compassion), as announced in advance by Dr. Sayan Bhattacharya, Director of the Indian Museum, Kolkata.
Organized as a joint initiative by the Indian Museum, the Union Ministry of Culture, the social organization ‘SHE Kantha’, and the ‘Kolkata Centre for Creativity’ (KCC), this courtyard installation is far more than a mere display gallery; it represents a magnificent confluence of Bengali art, women’s empowerment, political economy and archaeological evolution. Under the open sky within the arched courtyard of the Museum’s iconic Neoclassical architecture, an unprecedented traditional pavilion (sabeki mandap) has been erected.
Adorning it is an unbaked, raw clay traditional (ekchala) idol crafted by the renowned artisan Santo Pal of Kumartuli. Draped in traditional attire, the idol has been adorned with the ‘Solah Shringar’ (sixteen traditional adornments) by the heritage jewellery house ‘Nemichand Bamalwa & Sons’ of Shakespeare Sarani and Manicktalla Main Road.
Embellished with 22-karat pure gold jewellery, the Goddess’s chest features the ‘Nav Avatar Necklace’ symbolizing the nine avatars of Navratri, the ‘Gajalakshmi Har’ representing prosperity and the ‘Saraswati Har’ embodying wisdom and conscience. This manifestation is not merely an invocation of the Divine Mother; it is a glorious political-cultural confluence of Bengal’s living heritage in terracotta, goldsmithery, and embroidery.
From swadeshi nationalism to Vikas Bhi, Virasat Bhi
Analyzed from a political and historical perspective, this Durga Puja exhibition at the Indian Museum unveils a profound political lesson connecting India’s nationalist movement with contemporary statecraft. The call for ‘Vikas Bhi, Virasat Bhi’ (Development along with Heritage) and the revival of ‘Swadeshi’ products—articulated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his address from the Red Fort on India’s 80th Independence Day—finds direct reflection in this pavilion’s artistic design. However, the roots of this Swadeshi consciousness lie deep within a turbulent political history that unfolded 120 years ago.
In 1905, when the fires of the Swadeshi movement and the boycott of foreign goods spread across Bengal in protest against British Viceroy Lord Curzon’s Partition of Bengal, Abanindranath Tagore and the Bengal School of Art created a timeless masterpiece using the watercolour ‘wash’ technique titled ‘Banga Mata’ (Mother Bengal). Painted in a muted, sophisticated, layered smokey style learned from Japanese artist Yokoyama Taikan, this 26.6 by 15.2 cm depiction of an ascetic holy figure was later rechristened ‘Bharat Mata’ (Mother India) by Sister Nivedita.
The painting became a visual symbol of the anti-British struggle from Kashmir to Kanyakumari. The four sacred gifts held in the four hands of the four-armed Bharat Mata encapsulated the self-reliant identity of an independent India:
- Palm-leaf Manuscript: Symbolizing education, wisdom, and spiritual learning
- Sheaf of Paddy: Symbolizing food security and sustenance for an agrarian nation
- Piece of White Cloth: Symbolizing indigenous textile weaving and the Swadeshi thread movement
- Rudraksha Rosary: Symbolizing moral character, spiritual discipline, and meditation
After remaining preserved for decades in the archives of Jorasanko Thakurbari under the custodianship of Rabindranath Tagore and the Rabindra Bharati Society, the painting was moved in March 2015 under a historic agreement to a secure, single-object gallery at Kolkata’s Victoria Memorial Hall for permanent display. The current Durga Puja exhibition at the Indian Museum connects the underlying philosophy of Abanindranath’s ‘Bharat Mata’ with his another famous artwork, ‘Ganesh Janani’ (Mother of Ganesh).
At a time when modern state governance seeks to bring indigenous handicrafts and artisans into the economic mainstream instead of relying on foreign imports, adopting Kantha embroidery—woven with needle and thread—as the primary medium in the Museum’s courtyard carries immense significance.
Art historian Dr. Tapati Guha-Thakurta, in her seminal books ‘The Making of a New Indian Art: Bengal, 1850–1920’ (Cambridge University Press, 1992) and ‘In the Name of the Goddess: Durga Puja and the Making of a Public Art Festival’ (Niyogi Books, 2015), demonstrated how the 19th-century zamindari Durga Puja was transformed into the 20th-century nationalist movement and eventually evolved into 21st-century global ‘public art’.
This initiative by the Indian Museum proves that state-sponsored heritage showcases are not merely nostalgic retrospections, but rather a strategic globalization of Indian culture and soft power in a geopolitical context.
From kantha embroidery to female self-reliance
Viewed through the lens of media intelligence and data analysis, the digital footprint and economic ecosystem of this exhibition reflect an unprecedented success. With ‘Museum Memories’ and cultural videos going viral across social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube), daily visits by thousands of citizens and tourists transformed the Museum premises into a sea of people. In the lexicon of cultural analytics, this can be termed a true ‘blockbuster’ success.
Partnering in this initiative is ‘SHE Kantha’, marking its 40th anniversary alongside its ‘Shahoshi Rani’ (Brave Queen) campaign. According to data, hundreds of female craft artisans from rural Bengal spent days crafting the massive fabric panels and canvases of the pavilion through millions of intricate stitches. Each stitch stands there as a distinct unit of memory, culture, and devotion.
Through the social skilling program of the Museum’s partner institution, ‘SKS Capital & Research Private Limited’, over 500 rural women from Mandava and adjacent areas receive training and attain socio-economic independence every year. By bringing this painstaking female labor of Kantha embroidery out from domestic confines and displaying it in the central courtyard of a national museum, their labor ethos has been granted formal economic dignity.
Folk art mapping and regional economy
In collaboration with the Kolkata Centre for Creativity (KCC) and other organizations, a vast exhibition and trade hub representing traditional handicrafts from 9 key regions of the state was established. The ensemble brought together hand-painted storytelling Pattachitra from Medinipur, household and modern aesthetic bamboo items from Raiganj, Baul musical instrument makers (Ektara and flute) from Purba Bardhaman, local pottery from Dakshin Dinajpur.
It also had ancient ‘lost-wax’ cast metal Dokra sculptures from Purba Bardhaman, traditional handmade jewellery art from Bardhaman, wax-resist dye and textile Batik craft from South 24 Parganas, eco-friendly natural jute fiber creations from Murshidabad, and world-famous wooden owls and traditional dolls from Purba Bardhaman. This vast ecosystem demonstrates that Durga Puja today is not only a matter of religious sentiment but also a highly profitable and socially responsible medium for regional capital investment.
Historical journey from ‘matri’ to ‘mahashakti’ in archaeological evolution
From an archaeological perspective, comparing the permanent holdings of the Indian Museum with the artifacts showcased in this special exhibition is profoundly fascinating. According to research documented by renowned archaeologist Dr. Bratindra Nath Mukherjee in his scholarly work ‘Iconography of Devi Durga in Bengal’ (The Asiatic Society, 1995), the iconographic concept of Goddess Durga represents a continuous evolution spanning from the ancient fertility cults of the Indus Valley and Harappa to Vedic, Puranic and medieval traditions.
Among the chronologically arranged Durga sculptures and historical artifacts unveiled in the Indian Museum’s archaeological galleries and special exhibition are:
- 1st-century CE sandstone Mahishamardini
(Bhita, Kushan Period): Obtained from Bhita in Uttar Pradesh, this four-armed red sandstone sculpture stands as one of the earliest physical evidences of Goddess Durga slaying Mahishasura in India. Here, the Goddess subdues Mahishasura with raw, primal power.
- 12th-century CE chlorite stone ten-armed Mahishamardini (Manbhum, Pala-Sena Period):
Hailing from the Purulia/Manbhum region, this exquisite black chlorite stone sculpture depicts the Goddess as ten-armed, fully armed and trampling Mahishasura. Its delicate carving and ornamentation epitomize the pinnacle of Pala-Sena sculptural artistry.
- 11th–12th century white marble sculptures:
Rare white marble idols from medieval Eastern India showcasing detailed depictions of classical scriptural weapons (ayudhas).
- 2nd–3rd century Mathura terracotta & 19th-century Octo-Alloy (Ashtadhatu) idols:
Early terracotta mother goddess figures from Mathura alongside 19th-century traditional metal alloy representations.
- Motherhood in Painting:
Abanindranath Tagore’s celebrated painting ‘Ganesh Janani’ (Mother of Ganesh), preserved in the Museum’s Painting Gallery, portrays Goddess Durga as an affectionate Bengali mother playing with infant Ganesh. Alongside this are 18th and 19th-century Pahari miniatures and traditional Kalighat patachitra renderings of ‘Annapurna’ and Durga.
These archaeological elements prove that Durga Puja never remained static within a single era or ritual practice. This evolution of Durga—from a tribal fertility goddess (Matri) to the cosmic destroyer of evil forces (Mahashakti)—forms one of the fundamental pillars of Indian culture and public life.
The union of heritage, memory and modernity
The festival ‘Devi Durga: Śakti, Mātṛ, Karuṇā’, hosted in the central courtyard of the Indian Museum, does not remain merely a Puja celebration or an art exhibition; it has become a living embodiment of history and culture, noted Dr. Sayan Bhattacharya, Director of the Indian Museum, Kolkata. The stories of memory and devotion woven into every stitch by the Kantha artisans construct a new bridge between history and modernity. From the Swadeshi ideal of ‘Bharat Mata’ during the 1905 Partition of Bengal movement to the UNESCO-recognized global Durga Puja of 2026—across this long timeline, Goddess Durga is not merely a worshipped deity, but a symbol of Bengali national identity, female empowerment (Nari Shakti) and an inexhaustible fountainhead of the creative economy.
