Songs Of The Soil: The Spirit Of Bhadu Puja In Rural Bengal

In the month of Bhadra, when the air grows heavy with the scent of wet earth and ripening paddy, Bengal’s villages come alive with music and memory. Bhadu Pujo, a festival lesser known beyond the western districts of the state, unfolds not in ornate temples but in courtyards, under banyan trees, and beside rivers that have seen generations come and go.

Rooted in folklore and oral history, Bhadu Pujo celebrates Princess Bhadravati, also known as Bhadresvari, a figure deeply revered in local legend. As the story goes, Bhadu was an orphan discovered by the chief of Lada village, a loyal vassal of the Panchakote royal family. The chief adopted her and raised her with the dignity of a princess. As she grew, Bhadu fell in love with a young man named Anjan—but their love met a tragic and mysterious end when Bhadu suddenly disappeared.

Her unexplained disappearance gave rise to the belief that Bhadu was a living embodiment of Goddess Lakshmi who had descended to bless the people. The villagers mourned her loss and immortalised her through songs, Bhadu gaan, that became the heart of a festival celebrating not only her memory but the resilience and rhythm of rural life itself.

Photographer Debmalya Das, who recently spent time in the remote village of Sarenga which lies on the borders of Bengal's Purulia and Bankura during Bhadu Pujo, recalls, “Over the years, nothing much has changed. The villagers still hold on to their traditional rituals. In the heart of the village, houses, makeshift pandals, and open-air spaces were decorated with flowers, clay pots, and offerings. Unlike the urban pujas with their dazzling lights, here everything felt raw, organic, and deeply connected to the soil.”

If Durga Puja is known for its idols and grandeur, Bhadu Pujo is known for its songs. For generations, Bhadu gaan, or Bhadua gaan, have been sung by women, carrying within their verses the community’s memory and soul.

Das describes how the songs echo through the village at dusk. “Bhadu gaan are at the very heart of the festival, not just as performance art but as vessels of memory, identity, and emotion,” he says. “They are primarily passed down through oral tradition, sung from one generation of women to the next. Young girls learn the songs by listening and participating in nightly gatherings during the month of Bhadra.”

There is no fixed script, no written lyric sheets. The songs are improvised, woven together in the moment, guided by older women who mentor the younger ones in melody and rhythm. “In this way, Bhadu gaan becomes more than songs; they are communal memories,” Das adds. “They store not only the myth of Bhadu but also lived experiences, local idioms, and emotions of the singers themselves.”

The themes of Bhadu gaan span love, longing, and loss. “The songs often speak of Bhadu’s love for Anjan and her mysterious disappearance,” he explains. “They touch on separation, devotion, and sometimes even daily life—marriage, poverty, or family. They give women a voice in matters they might otherwise not discuss openly.”

But Bhadu gaan isn’t all sorrow. Some verses carry humor, teasing, and gossip—an oral tradition where life in all its colour finds expression. “Some songs have playful banter or social critique,” Das says. “That’s what makes Bhadu Pujo so special. It’s a living, breathing art form where the women of the village express their truth.”

Bhadu Pujo transforms villages into living families. The rituals are open-air, participatory, and deeply social. “The songs, rituals, and performances are not confined to a temple or a home,” Das notes. “They belong to the open air—under the sky, around the flame, beside the river.”

In villages across Purulia, Bankura, Birbhum, and Bardhaman, evenings during the month of Bhadra become communal gatherings. “Every evening becomes a meeting point—a chatal, an angan, or under a banyan tree where everyone gathers,” says Das. “Women, especially young girls, take the lead, singing Bhadu gaan that celebrate love and hope. Their voices fill the twilight air, accompanied by the rhythmic beats of the dhol and madol.”

Men, meanwhile, handle the structural and celebratory aspects. “Men often play instruments, build the clay idols, and set up fairs and community feasts. They also help with the immersion ceremony at the end of the month,” he explains.

Unlike the elaborate pandals of Durga Puja, Bhadu Pujo is rooted in simplicity. “The idol of Bhadu is typically a small clay figure — sometimes just a mound of earth adorned with vermilion, flowers, and ornaments,” Das says. “This simplicity reflects its folk and agrarian roots. It emerged from the lives of villagers, not from royal patronage or temple traditions. Every home, no matter how humble, can host Bhadu.”

On the final night, Bhadu Bisarjan (the immersion) the atmosphere turns both festive and emotional. “As villagers carry Bhadu’s clay idol to the river or pond, they sing Bhadu gaan one last time,” Das recounts. “There’s dancing, drumming, blowing of conch shells. The immersion signifies Bhadu’s return to the divine realm, but symbolically it’s about creation and dissolution — the rhythm of nature itself.”

Before immersion, women perform Boron, offering sweets and water to bid Bhadu farewell. “For the young girls who sing her songs, the immersion is bittersweet,” Das says softly. “It’s like saying goodbye to a friend. But there’s always the promise that Bhadu will return next year.”

For Das, documenting Bhadu Pujo was not just about capturing images but about understanding a way of life sustained by shared emotion. “As the month of Bhadra arrives, the village awakens in rhythm and song,” he reflects. “Men and women mold Bhadu’s clay image with tender hands, children weave garlands, and men raise bamboo pavilions beneath the open sky.”

Even when the rains come unexpectedly, the spirit remains unshaken. “In some places, they make temporary pandals inside homes to protect from rain,” he recalls. “Evenings glow with oil lamps as girls sing Bhadu gaan — songs of love and longing echoing through the fields. Every home offers a flower, a lamp, a prayer.”

What struck him most was the collective participation. “Every household contributes—someone brings flowers, another lends a lamp. Even the poorest hut keeps a corner lit for Bhadu,” Das says. “As the festival goes on, boundaries between homes dissolve. Neighbors eat together, sing together, and share their little joys under one sky.”

When asked what he felt while witnessing the immersion, Das pauses. “Bhadu Puja filled me with a quiet, earthy joy—the kind that blooms from togetherness,” he says. “As songs floated across the fields and oil lamps flickered in the dusk, I felt devotion not in grand temples, but in the simple faith of people singing with open hearts.”

Watching Bhadu’s clay form drift away, he understood the deeper meaning of the ritual. “It wasn’t just about worship,” he says. “It was about life itself—love, loss, renewal, and the unbroken rhythm of community.”

Das hopes more people from outside these villages will see Bhadu Pujo for what it truly is — not just a local ritual, but a celebration of shared humanity. “If someone comes to witness Bhadu Pujo,” he says, “I’d want them to see beyond the clay idol and simple rituals. Its spirit lies in togetherness, devotion, and hope — in songs sung by girls at dusk, in laughter, in heartfelt offerings. Bhadu is not a distant goddess but a daughter, a friend, a part of the community. The festival teaches that true devotion is found in connection — to each other, to the earth, and to life itself.”

FAQs

Q1. What is Bhadu Pujo and where is it celebrated?
Bhadu Pujo is a folk festival celebrated mainly in the Rarh region of West Bengal, including Purulia, Bankura, Birbhum, and Bardhaman. It honours Princess Bhadravati, believed to be a divine incarnation of Goddess Lakshmi, through songs, clay idols, and community rituals.

Q2. What is the story behind Bhadu Pujo?
According to legend, Bhadu was an orphan raised as a princess who fell in love with a man named Anjan. After her mysterious disappearance, villagers began worshipping her as a symbol of prosperity and love, giving rise to Bhadu Pujo as a festival of remembrance and devotion.

Q3. What makes Bhadu Pujo different from Durga Puja?
Unlike Durga Puja’s grandeur, Bhadu Pujo is intimate and community-driven. It is held in village courtyards or under trees, featuring handmade clay idols, Bhadu songs (Bhadu Gaan) sung by women, and rituals rooted in agrarian simplicity.

Q4. What is Bhadu Gaan and why is it important?
Bhadu Gaan are traditional songs sung by women during the month of Bhadra. Passed down orally, they express themes of love, longing, and everyday life — serving as both a form of worship and a cultural archive of rural Bengal’s emotions and stories.

Q5. How is Bhadu Pujo celebrated today?
In villages like Sarenga, Bankura, and Purulia, Bhadu Pujo continues with clay idols, communal singing, drumming, and immersion rituals (Bhadu Bisarjan). Photographer Debmalya Das notes that while modernity has touched many aspects of life, the festival’s simplicity and spirit remain unchanged.

Debmalya Das is a travel and documentary photographer whose work has been featured in renowned international publications. Alongside his creative pursuits, he serves in the Panchayat Administration of the West Bengal Government, travelling to remote corners of India to document stories, cultures, and the human spirit through his lens.