Bandel: Vaishnavites are usually considered to be vegetarians. But, there is a unique 500-year-old fish fair that is organised during the festival of Vaishnavites in Debnandapur of Bandel in West Bengal's Hooghly district.
On first day of Bengali month of 'Magha', the festival is held with chanting of 'kirtan'. Interestingly, a fish fair is organised just behind the temple of Radha Krishna. Traders from many districts gather here to sell raw and fried fish. Some people also cook and eat the fish after buying it near the fair.
It is believed that the festival was started in the village 519 years ago after Raghunath Das Goswami, son of the zamidar of Devanandapur region, Govardhan Goswami, returned home. Raghunath had left home at the age of 15 to pursue Lord Krishna and take initiation from Mahaprabhu Chaitanya Nityananda. However, Nityananda did not give him initiation because he was young and asked him to return home after testing his devotion.
Raghunath returned home nine months later. Overjoyed at his son's return from Vrindavan, Govardhan Goswami decided to feed the people of the village. To test the zamidar's sincerity, villagers expressed their desire to eat off-seasonal raw mango and Hilsa fish. Thus, a lot of effort was taken and the entire village was served a sumptuous meal.
The fish fair has originated from that custom of feeding fish to villagers. Presently, local traders bring different types of fish and sell those behind the temple of Radha Krishna. People throng at the fair from far and wide.
Several varieties of fish, ranging from 'Boal', 'Chuno', 'Puti', 'Rui', 'Katla', 'Iiylish', 'Bhetki', 'Bhola', 'Shankar' to shrimp and crabs are readily available at this unique fair. Apart from the varieties, one can also find fish weighing 30 to 40 kg, which are rare in local markets.
The fair runs from morning till night and people from Hooghly along with Nadia and Howrah districts come here to buy fish.
Amar Chakraborty, a 'sevayat' of Radha Krishna temple, said, "The festival and fair are held in memory of Raghunath Das Goswami. While the local people cook and eat fish behind the temple, Vaishnava community members accept 'Bhog Prasad' inside the temple. The festival has also become popular for the fish fair."
Even though Debashree Dey left Debnandapur after her marriage, she always comes to this fair. She said she has been coming here with her parents since childhood. Although the prices at the fair are slightly higher than the market, the taste of the fish is exceptionally good, she added.
Indrajit Mandal, a businessman from Chunchura Chawkbazar, said, "I have been coming to this fair since 2004. This year, I have brought 'Ar', 'Bhetki', 'Tuna' and 'Gurjaoali' fish. "We are selling our fish from Rs 200 to 600 taka. Fish sold here are brought from different places including Digha, Odisha and Kakdwip so the price is slightly higher but the taste is very good," he said.
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