Museum on Durga
“Maa Phire Elo”
It is said that museums collect and preserve old artifacts, sculptures, objects and gives us the knowledge of a country’s religious, cultural and historical value. From a museum we come to know about a nation’s development and journey from prehistory to modernity.
India is a country which has a rich heritage of cultural diversity. Kolkata is one such city where we say that culture is in the air. People are culturally conscious and they are mostly involved in different cultural activities like music, theatre, films, art exhibitions and some religious carnivals. Among them, the Durga Puja is considered to be the greatest carnival not only in Kolkata or India but across the world. Recently, it has been listed among the ‘’Intangible Cultural heritage of Humanity”. Among the many popular, cultural practices, Durga Puja is now a UNESCO World Heritage site.
According to UNESCO – ‘’Durga Puja is seen as the best instance of the public performance of religion and art, and as a thriving ground for collaborative artists and designers. During the event, the divides of class, religion and ethnicities collapse as crowds of spectators walk around to admire the installations.”
Hundreds of Durga Pujas are held all over the city and many of them become a virtual art gallery consisting of wonderful creative works by hundreds of artisans with intricate designs, based on some theme, using clay, and many other materials. Sometimes even the throw-away materials are used creatively on various subjects ranging from environmental conservation to women empowerment and others. The beautiful idol and the pandal are a treat for the eyes. But unfortunately, after the five days of puja, Durga idols are immersed in the river Ganga, according to the traditional beliefs.
In 2012, not known to many, the city got its first Durga Museum, named as “Maa Phire Elo” which means Return of the Mother Goddess. Many of the idols and their backdrops, artistically built with lots of effort are preserved in the museum, housed at the Rabindra Sarovar complex, decorated with panels.
Manashimaya