Guwahati currently hosts around 500 Durga Pujas. But do you know which one is the oldest?
The Uzanbazar Barowari Puja. The present puja is 131 years old, but its origin dates back to 1821.
It was established by Rajkumar Ghanakanta Singha of the Uzanbazar Rajbari. Due to the prevailing social unrest of the times, it was first performed in 1821, probably under the guidance of Ahom King, Swargadeo Chandrakanta Singha. This private puja of the Ahom royal family continued till 1888.
History records that due to the depleting resources in the Rajbari's treasury, which by then was mostly dependent on British pension, it became difficult to continue with the private celebrations.
Ghanakanta Singha's daughter-in-law, Mahindri Aideo, the widow of Keshavkanta decided to make the Durga puja public.
But it was done so by Chandradhar Sarma only after her demise. So in 1889, this puja that was till then celebrated only by the royal household was opened for the public. It was named the 'Barowari Durga Puja'.
It was initially hosted somewhere near the present Kumar Bhaskar Natya Mandir theatre hall.
From 1912 to 1915, a pandal used to be erected at the place of the present Barowari temple to celebrate the puja.
Around 1934-35, this same plot of land was donated by Shirastadar Neelnath Sarma, and a temple was constructed.
The word 'Barowari' refers to the public organization of a religious or similar type of entity. As such the date of inception of the present puja is counted from 1889 when the citizens started organising the Durga Puja.
