Malda (West Bengal): It is almost impossible for humans to escape the wrath of mother nature. But in this case even the mighty goddess Durga have been left 'homeless' by mother nature's whims.
The swelling Ganges has engulfed a Durga temple four times due to riverbank erosion. This year, for the fifth time, a new temple has been constructed on the banks of the Ganges in the Darbaritola village of the district. It seemed that this time also the mighty Ganges will swallow the temple once again as river water started entering the compound of the temple. But within days it started to recede rapidly at a few inches per hour much to the relief of villagers.
However, they said that the danger is not over yet and one cannot say for sure that the water will not start to rise again. The Durga puja first started in Darbaritola village of Dallutola. After the temple was washed away by the Ganges, the puja was relocated to Bechutola.
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After a few years, that temple was again swallowed by the river and a new temple was built in Haddatola village. The villagers were then forced to perform the puja by the side of the road in Jotpatta. Therefore, this Puja is now known as a "mobile Durga Puja" in the district.
Jotpatta village is in the erosion-prone prone Manikchak block of Malda district.“In 1905, Zamindar Bhupalchandra Roy Chowdhury started this puja. About 118 years ago there was no Durga Puja here. Seeing that, he started this puja with much fanfare." Nripendrakrishna Mondal, secretary of the puja committee of the Manikchak Diara Sarvajanin Pujo Committee, told ETV Bharat.
"But since 1997 we have become a victim of Ganga's wrath. Mother Durga also fell into the wrath of the river. We moved from place to place with the goddess," he added. Mondal also said that they are building a new Durga temple on the roadside but are not sure how long it will last. "Now we all have a financial crisis, so I have decided to spend less money," he added.
