Sovabazar Rajbari / Shobhabazar Rajbari

Sovabazar Rajbari — One of Kolkata's Oldest Bonedi Pujas

The Durga Puja of Sovabazar Rajbari is among the oldest continuously celebrated aristocratic (bonedi barir) pujas of Kolkata. It was initiated in 1757 by Maharaja Nabakrishna Deb—associate of Robert Clive—shortly after the Battle of Plassey, and the palace on 36 Naba Krishna Street, Shobhabazar, remains a living centre of the festival.

Because British officials such as Warren Hastings attended, the puja earned the nickname "Companir Pujo" (Company's Puja). Distinctive bonedi traditions survive: the lion mount is carved with a horse-like face (ghotokmuki singha), rituals are performed in the central natmandap, and the idol is carried by boat to the Hooghly for immersion rather than by road.

Two branches of the family—descendants of Rajkrishna Deb and adopted son Gopimohan Deb—host separate pujas, and the palace gates stay open to all during the five days. A traditional sabeki puja in 2025, Sovabazar Rajbari remains a proud symbol of North Kolkata's hereditary Durga Puja heritage.