Fish, faith and Durga Puja: What Sovabazar Rajbari’s 270-year tradition reveals about Bengali food culture

At Sovabazar Rajbari, devotion and fish have never necessarily been contradictory.

For nearly 270 years, the aristocratic family’s Durga Puja has followed a food tradition in which vegetarian rituals coexist with fish and meat. Family members fast, offer anjali and observe vegetarian rules during the day, but traditionally return to non-vegetarian food in the evening.

The tradition offers a glimpse into the close relationship between food, faith and social life in Bengal—and has acquired renewed relevance amid the recent debate over eating fish and meat during Durga Puja.

One of Kolkata’s oldest aristocratic Durga Pujas, the celebration at Sovabazar Rajbari was started by Raja Nabakrishna Deb in 1757, following the Battle of Plassey. Nearly 270 years later, the rituals continue to be observed, with the eighth generation of the family carrying forward the tradition.

Debraj Mitra, a servitor of Sovabazar Rajbari and a member of its Board of Trustees, said the puja has no connection with politics. According to him, politics has its own space, while the puja at Sovabazar Rajbari continues according to its own traditions. People across political ideologies are invited to the celebrations.

Vegetarian during the day, Fish and Meat in the Evening

There are specific rules governing both the rituals and food during the puja.

According to Mitra, family members fast in the morning and offer anjali, a ritual offering of flowers to the goddess while reciting prayers. They then participate in the day’s religious ceremonies. During this period, they eat only vegetarian food.

In the evening, however, they traditionally eat non-vegetarian food. In other words, fish and meat are not considered incompatible with the family’s observance of Durga Puja. The distinction lies in the time of day and the ritual responsibilities being followed.

There is, however, an exception.

The rules are different for the person in whose name the sankalpa—the formal religious resolve for the puja—is made. The responsibility alternates every year. From Bodhan until Ashtami, the person whose name is invoked follows a vegetarian diet and eats boiled rice. This restriction does not apply to the other members of the family.

The Story Behind the Magur Fish Offering

The most distinctive chapter of Sovabazar Rajbari’s food tradition comes on Navami, when a pair of magur fish is offered to the goddess.

The practice, according to the family’s oral history, emerged after goat sacrifice was discontinued at the puja.

Mitra said goat sacrifice was practised at the Rajbari in the past. According to the family’s oral account, a goat brought for sacrifice once escaped from the sacrificial block and fell at the feet of Raja Radhakanta Deb. The Raja reportedly interpreted the incident as a sign that the goat did not wish to be sacrificed and decided to discontinue the practice.

The family tradition further holds that priests and scholars consulted at the time advised that the ritual still required a blood offering. According to the account, Raja Radhakanta Deb then cut his own hand and offered his blood.

The matter was subsequently discussed with scholars and priests from different places. On their advice, according to Mitra, magur fish began to be offered in place of the goat.

The practice continues to this day.

On Navami, a pair of magur fish is offered at Sovabazar Rajbari. The fish is not brought into the thakur dalan, the traditional courtyard shrine of a Bengali aristocratic household, on any other day of the puja. On Navami, it is offered to the goddess as part of the non-vegetarian bhog. Following the ritual, the fish is given to the priest.

The person performing the sankalpa is also permitted to eat fish after Navami.

From Magur Fish to Bhetki Paturi

The Rajbari’s food traditions extend beyond ritual offerings.

For the past two years, a grand feast, or Mahabhoj, featuring 31 varieties of vegetarian dishes has been organised from Panchami to Ashtami. On Navami, the menu changes to include different fish preparations, including bhetki paturi, katla and other varieties of fish.

Mitra said fish, prawns, hilsa and meat have traditionally been part of the family’s meals during the puja. Meat is eaten after Navami, while non-vegetarian food is also served at the Bijoya Sammilani after Dashami.

Thus, vegetarian and non-vegetarian food occupy different places within the same ritual calendar.

A Tradition Brought Into a Contemporary Debate

The recent controversy over eating non-vegetarian food during Durga Puja has given this old tradition a contemporary relevance.

Mitra said he was saddened by remarks from religious figures associated with Bageshwar Dham that, according to him, portrayed people who eat non-vegetarian food during the festival as hypocritical or irreligious. He argued that Bengal’s food traditions and religious practices need to be understood within their own cultural context.

For the family at Sovabazar Rajbari, there is no contradiction between religious observance and its traditional food practices. Fasting, offering anjali and following ritual rules during the day coexist with eating fish and meat in the evening.

The history of Durga Puja at Sovabazar Rajbari, therefore, is not simply a record of what an aristocratic Bengali family eats during the festival. It is also a story about how food, faith, family and ritual have evolved together.

After nearly 270 years, the Rajbari’s traditions continue to hold both vegetarian and non-vegetarian food within the same festival—offering a glimpse into the many layers of Bengal’s culinary and cultural history.