Courtsey : On behalf of Sri Sri Kashiswar Jeu Devottor Trust :- Dhruba Dutta Chaudhury

The Dutta Chowdhury family is an off-shoot of Maharshi Bharadwaja clan Bally’s Dutta family founded by Purushottam Dutta, a Daksina-Rarhiya yagnika kayastha. 12th from Purushottam was Tekari Dutta who moved at Andul in c.1390 CE.The annual worshiping of Mahishamardini Durga was once initiated into this family by Tekari’s 5th descendent and then zamindar Chowdhury Ramasharan Datta in 1570 CE at a hay-brick made atchala on the bank of the Sarasvati river at Andul, by strictly obeying Tantra rituals. Goddess Durga is their Istha-devi.

After Ramasharana’s death, his sixth and youngest son Kashisvar Datta Chowdhury with his elder brothers- Mahesh Chandra, Shiva Rama, Jagannatha,Parvati Charana and Prema Chand constructed a thakurdalan in 1609 CE at Andul’s Chowdhury para situated on the western side of the Sarasvati river, after reviving some of their ancestral zamindari estate (Jāẏagīra) from then Mughal Emperor Jahangir in 1607 CE. The puja continues till date unabated with much pomp and grandeur.

Since Kashisvar, Durga puja rituals are carried out obeying Brihata-Nandikeshvara Purana. The Durga Dalan built in 1609 unfortunately collapsed around the year 1929 CE, but family descendants took no time in getting a new flat-roof five arches durgadalan at the same pace not attached with their house, constructed and functioning within a year.

The family today still celebrates as many as 4 Durga Pujas in their different households at North Kolkata, this Andul puja being the oldest and other three are well-known by the names- Modon Mohan Dutta Bari-r puja, Hatkhola Dutta Bari-r puja and Shymal Dhon Dutta Bari-r puja.