Durga As Bharat Mata? A Wave Of Nationalist Fever Sweeping Pandals

Updated on: 24 October 2023 6:29 am

An idol of Goddess Durga holding the national flag in Patna

I love roaming the streets every Dussehra on my bicycle. Been living at Patna - 800007 for 50 years now. This Durga Puja, too, I am full of zest and devotion. I saw a new trend this year. The number of Bharat Mata idols seemed to have grown over the years. Does the number of Bharat Mata idols reflect the current state of our country where nationalism and jingoism are very much in vogue? Is the traditional Mahishasur-Mardini Durga an old story now?

Bharat Mata must have found its way into Durga Puja pandals when our country was struggling for independence from the British Raj. When our country gained independence and there was a resurgent India, Bharat Mata was invented as an incarnation of Goddess Durga to instil patriotism mixed with religion. While Bharat Mata or Mother India, the national personification of India, has been around, the symbolic avatar is now becoming more pervasive in the Durga puja pandals.

Idol of Durga as Bharat Mata in the pandal in Patna Pritam Sinha

It was in the twentieth century that the identity of India came to be visually associated with the image of Bharat Mata propelled by the growth of nationalism. Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay first created the image. Over the years, this visual representation of the nation’s identity has also gone through many changes and interpretations. She has also been depicted wearing a saffron sari and having four arms that hold weapons. However, the version of Bharat Mata created by Abanindranath Tagore was just a plain woman in a saffron sari with multiple hands and a halo. Later, she went through many cosmetic changes also corresponding with the nation’s new identity and its politics.

The idol of Goddess Durga with the Indian flag. Pritam Sinha

Now, the ubiquitous Bharat Mata that I witness in Patna puja pandals is dressed in white with a hand raised in a blessing form and she has a lion as an accompanying symbol of power behind her. In Eastern India, the goddess and her lores take over from the Ramayan story. The pandals this year are more elaborate and while some have continued with their traditional depictions of Kali and Durga, the many Bharat Matas are also quite distinct in their positioning.

I observe such things. For me, it is an interesting way to look at how we evolve as a nation and as people as festivals are an integral part of our being.

(Views expressed are personal)